Defender of the Earth, and other places
by tennanttyler
Summary: The Doctor is traveling with Donna and Martha, when eventually he accidentally reunites with his beloved Rose. It turns out she somehow made it back, and has been surviving on her own and protecting people along the way. Donna and Martha finally find out whats so special about her, and why she really is the Bad Wolf
1. Chapter 1

"I could've handled it on my own!" the Doctor says to Donna and Martha, they could hear the pout in his voice. "Lord knows I've managed it over 900 years so far.." they hear him mumble

They were walking back to the TARDIS from one of their fulfilled adventures. After The Doctor and Donna helped Martha save Earth from the Sontarans and ATMOS, Martha was forced to come along with them in an unexpected override trip to the planet Messaline. During that adventure was when they had met Jenny, the Doctor's (unexpected) daughter. After that Martha had decided to come along for a couple more adventures. She didn't expect to be traveling back on the TARDIS in general, but now that she was, why not have a number of incredible adventures to give her memories that will last her lifetime before she left?

"Oh don't be so big headed!" Donna howls with laughter, walking with Martha hanging on to her back from laughing so hard herself "We all know here you would've been a gonner if Martha here didn't come in and save your skinny little arse!" Donna and Martha had clicked instantly, and were getting along better than he had ever expected.

They reach the TARDIS and the Doctor unlocks the door, letting the other two in first. Coming in himself and turning around to close the door, he turns the bolt lock himself, making sure that they were securely out of harm's way before they departed.

"Fine, maybe it was a little humorous." The Doctor says walking up the grating to the console. "However, I have no doubt that I would've eventually found a way to save myself before it was too late." The Doctor spits out quickly, beginning to turns knobs and dials, Flicking switches on and off in the little dance of glee he does that both of the passengers always enjoy watching. The hear the familiar sound of the TARDIS dematerializing

"I think the words you are looking for here are 'Thank You'" Martha says cheekily, still recovering from her laughing fit

The Doctor looks up at the both of them, and smiles. A contagious smile, that makes the other two comply with him. They knew that the smile meant that he had a grand adventure with some brilliant people, and he was ready for his next one.

"You even locked the dead bolt! Just because you don't how much trouble we are still in with these guys!" Donna says accordingly

The Doctor just sighs and give her and exasperated look of plea.

"Fine we'll change the subject" Donna says, hand up in surrender. "But you've got to give me and Martha here a half a second to reload before the next adventure. We don't have superior time lord biology unlike someone, my back is killing me!"

"No worries" the Doctor says with a sigh, starting to punch in coordinates to the next destination "I'll let the TARDIS drift around in the void for a while, so you guys can sleep and re-energize and whatnot"

"Thanks very much for mentioning that, Donna" Martha says "didn't realize till just now how much I need a shower. We smell like we've been rolling around in a sewer!"

"That settles it, I'm heading off for the night!" Donna calls over her shoulder, one hand raise in the air, as she's heading to her bedroom.

The doctor starts messing with a few switches on the console, when he notices a few seconds later that Martha is still there, just sort of staring at him. He looks up back at her. A few seconds of comfortable silence pass where neither of them really know what to say.

"Well" Martha says, messing with her hands "I guess that's my cue" she starts taking steps backwards. "Goodnight Doctor"

"Goodnight Martha" the doctor says warmly giving her a small smile. "See you in the morning."

With that she turns around and heads off towards her own room. Once she's out of sight the doctor turns his attention back towards the console with a sigh, prepared to do some tinkering and updates

"Alright old girl" he says to the TARDIS "let's see the damage this time"


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor is sitting alone in the kitchen, drinking his fourth of fifth cup of coffee. By this point his has tinkered around with the TARDIS a multiple of seven times, he has drawn up several blueprints of rooms that he wants the TARDIS to eventually add, and he has taken an impressive number of laps around the TARDIS pool. Afterwards he had decided that he needs to freshen up himself, and headed towards his own room. He changes out of his dirty blue suit and decides to take a shower. Once he gets out, he changes into some of his favorite comfy pajamas. He then brushes his teeth, brushes through his hair, and then decides he needs to rest up as well before he wears himself out, and then he falls asleep. Two hours later he is back up and rested up well enough for whatever comes his way.

Going back into the wardrobe for his usual attire, he reaches for one of his multiple clean blue suits to put on, when he notices a piece of fabric in the corner that he hasn't worn in a long time. His brown pinstripe suit, he loves that suit. He starts to wonder why it's been so long since he's worn that suit. That's his favorite suit, it's the first outfit he's put together for this body. It holds a lot of memories. It used to be his go-to suit. He thinks about how much he loved wearing it because Rose loved it so mu—

'Oh that's right' he thinks to himself, looking down with a sad expression on his face, why did he have to think about that? He had almost forgotten for a second. He had picked out the suit in the first place not only because he thought it looked good on him, but in hopes that Rose would like it. Oh and she did. She constantly complimented him while he wore it, saying that it fit this version of him well, and that she thought he always looked good in action. It was because of this that he loved the suit so much. He felt almost invincible whenever he wore it. Like nothing could stop him and long as he had the suit to wear and Rose's hand to hold. He gives a little chuckle of nostalgia. He hasn't worn it since he lost her, he finally realizes. He sighs to himself and continues to stare at it. He had always felt his most confident while wearing it. Sure, he doesn't have Rose to make him feel completely complete, but maybe he can make himself feel better from the memories

'I could wear this today, maybe just this once' he thinks to himself 'No point appreciating the memories if it sits in the back of my wardrobe. Doesn't hurt to try'

Now as he's sitting at the kitchen table, drinking his fifth cup of coffee, he eventually decides to start naming all of the constellations he's learned about over the years to entertain himself until someone else wakes up.

"Cassiopeia, Microscopium, Vulpecula.." he continues 20 minutes in "..Phoenicopterus, Uranoscopus, Camelus, Sudar – "

"-Good morning one and all!" Donna yells, walking into the kitchen with her arms outstretched in the air.

'Oh thank god' the Doctor thinks to himself. He didn't know how much longer he could entertain himself. "Morning already?" he asks nonchalantly.

"Yeah it is, got me a good ten hours! I can't even remember the last time I had that much sleep!" she says proudly

"Good, you're gonna need it for our next adventure, who knows how long we'll be out." said The Doctor, gesturing toward her with his mug.

"Morning all!" Martha says, entering the room

"Morning" The Doctor and Donna reply simultaneously, as Martha sits down across from the Doctor.

"Why, what do we have here?" Martha asks, resulting in a confused look from the Doctor. "I haven't seen this number before" and gestures towards his outfit. "Are we in for a treat today?"

Once the Doctor realizes, he focuses on his coffee, not really wanting to provide for the conversation.

"Wait a second, I've seen it before!" Donna says, leaning against the counter "He was wearing that suit when I met him!"

"Then how come I haven't?" Martha asks

"See, I met the Doctor before you did, remember?" Donna explains "We saved earth from some giant arachnids, and then I said no to traveling with him the first time. I assume he met you almost directly afterwards."

"I did, couple of weeks later" the Dotor says, still looking down at his drink

"But, how come I haven't seen it at least once if I was directly after you?" Martha asks, confused

"Was just, in a real need for a change" the Doctor says, trying to deter the subject

"Well the day I had met him and he was wearing it, he was in a real rough patch because.." she says, and then glances at the Doctor, noticing the subtle look pain on his face.

Then Donna remembers, her eyes getting wide, immediately looking apologetic. Not saying anything else, and turning back to the counter to make herself a cup of tea.

Martha notices this, ending up getting more confused. She tries to figure out what they are talking about, looking back and forth between the two of them. But Donna has her back turned, putting the kettle on the stove, and the Doctor seems to be observing every single atom of his coffee at this point.

"Did I say something wrong?" Martha asks, looking at Donna, hoping to get some answers

"Nope, my fault. Didn't get enough sleep I suppose. Or perhaps not enough coffee" The Doctor says, quickly getting up from his seat. "Will do better once we start moving around more." He says making a bee line for the door. "Meet me in the console room in ten minutes!" he calls over his shoulder as he heads out of the room

Martha decides not to ask anymore question about the subject, and they finish their drinks in silence

Precisely ten minutes later they join him in the console room.

"Where are we heading off to today? Donna asks grazing the console as the Doctor pushes some buttons, and Martha sits down on the Captains seat.

"That's the beauty, I don't know. I set the coordinates to a random location. Fun stuff always happens when I do that." The Doctor says with a proud grin on his face, eyes full of childlike wonderment and excitement "Now it's a real adventure!"

The TARDIS materializes and they all head for the door, Doctor first with the other two right at his feet. He grabs the handles and turns back to look at them with a smile

"Allons-y!" he says, throwing open the doors and walking out


	3. Chapter 3

They walk out of the TARDIS to find themselves in what seems like a dark, old dusty storage closet conveniently big enough to fit the ship, but not leaving enough room for the three passengers. The Doctor walks out first and starts observing the room, while the other two enter and immediately start fanning the dust away from their faces.

"What is that smell?" Martha asks, looking around

"Mold" the Doctor replies, still concentrated "Who knows the last time someone used this room."

"Not exactly the Four Seasons" Donna says, ready to get out of there

"Well, we signed up for an adventure, not a resort, now didn't we?" the Doctor says, glancing their way

"Aren't we just on Earth?" Donna asks

"Lots of places have storage closets" Martha answers with a giggle

The Doctor stands upright and takes one big sniff of the air. The other two staring at him, waiting for him to make his diagnosis. After a few seconds the Doctor takes a second big sniff.

"We're definitely not on Earth" he says finally

"Right, well can we get out of here?" Martha asks, and starts coughing. "I imagine the dust isn't going to be very well on our lungs"

The doctor nods and leads them out the door into a hallway. They notice various paintings on the walls displaying different scenarios. The first one they see appears to be some sort of ritual or gathering, with only silhouettes as the attendees and a blurred object as the centerpiece.

"Is this some sort of church?" Donna concludes, looking back and forth between the different paintings

"It would seem so." The Doctor answers, taking a moment to observe the architecture of the hallway, and the style of the wallpaper "The year 212…3? Nope, its 2127" he decides

"Who are you?" they hear a voice ask. They turn their heads down to the end of the dark hallway and see a tall man dressed in robes. "Can I help you with something?" he asks, walking towards them. As he comes out of the shadow they notice that he has purple colored skin, after a second they finally get to take in his sharp, piercing, deep red eyes. This threw all three of them off, even the Doctor has never seen an alien like this! Donna and Martha are immediately wary and reluctant to look up at him, but after a second to recover, the Doctor bounces right back.

"Greetings, I'm the Doctor" he says enthusiastically

"A doctor!" the man proclaims "May I see your credentials?"

The Doctor doesn't skip a beat, and pulls out his psychic paper to show the man

"Oh, most excellent" the man cheers "we have finally been sent help!"

"Yep, that us" the Doctor says, giving his most brilliant smile

"And who are these two ladies?" the man asks, eyeing them suspiciously

"Right, sorry." The doctor says. "This is Donna Noble" he says gesturing towards her "And this is Dr. Martha Jones"

"Two doctors!" the man lights up "This must be our lucky day!"

"Yes, and Donna is our traveling business manager" the Doctor makes up, making sure she is able to come along as well

"Well then we must be on our way so that we can begin immediately!" the man concludes and starts walking away. Without skipping a beat, the Doctor follows him. Donna and Martha give each other questioning looks, and run to catch up with them.

They are led through a maze of hallways, everyone looking at the different kinds of art displayed on the walls as they passed. The man seems to be leading them deeper underground.

"So, what is your name then?" the Doctor asks, wanting to break the silence

"Oh yes, of course." The man says, still walking "I am Uzata, the head priest of my people. We are in my home, the people's sanctuary."

"Ah lovely, and where your leading us to?" the Doctor asks as they approach a secured double door with two guards. Uzata gives them a nod and they part to let everyone through.

"My people" Uzata says simply and pushes open the doors and steps to the side to let the others see.

They look to see an auditorium type room bustling with citizens running back and forth performing tasks. The Doctor imagined the room was big enough to hold a small civilization. After discovering that they were underground, he notices the walls were made of clay, leaving the room significantly cooler than the rest of the sanctuary. He looks around to see that Uzata's people resemble him in physiology but not just in purple. He sees others in orange, yellow, blue, green, and what appears to be a turquoise.

Looking to the left, he sees the entire wall lined with cots, he would guess there were sixty at least. Almost every cot was being used. He takes a closer look to see the people on the cots look frail and dirty. He sees a couple of people running back and forth catering to them. He concludes that the patients are all injured or ill, though they look like they have been through some sort of war zone.

He looks to the right and sees the rest of the people crowded close to the wall. Floor pallets made of some blankets lay anywhere and everywhere so someone can rest. He looks closer to notice that they were all families. He sees a Mother cuddling her son, trying to calm him down enough to go to sleep, while another one of her children is already asleep on his pallet. They also look dirty, and like they haven't had a full meal in months.

"What is this?" the Doctor asks awestruck, turning around towards Uzata

"This is our survivor camp. Let me explain." Uzata begins, walking them down the aisle between the two sides of the room. "We are the Auralians, this is our home planet of Yaetania. We are a peaceful being who thrive on community and trade. We have never once had a war, nor participated in one. However three months ago our planet was robbed from us when alien life landed and started killing and enslaving our people. They've burnt down cities, robbed our businesses, and have taken our main source of food." He says, the Doctor, Donna, and Martha faces all have a look of grief

"Here is where we have brought the homeless families and the injured and sick to live and hideout. Anyone who needs to be here gets welcomed warmly and offered a pallet. More people are brought in every day. We are safe here because only our locals know about the shelter underneath our secluded sanctuary. It is guarded and highly secured. We have been contacting nearby planets throughout this time, and they have been most helpful sneaking in food to our union every so often. However, they can only manage about once every couple of weeks, so the food is scarce. They also send their troops in to fight for our cause and have helped us out by providing us with medical staff, which you know."

Donna looks around and sees an orange Auralian tending to a man with deep wounds, a yellow Auralian keeping the majority of the children entertained with story time, and a couple of green Auralians sorting through their foods in the back corner.

"You may not be in a war, but it sounds like you guys are fighters" the doctor says solemnly, hands in his pocket, taking in the scene once more

Uzata replies with a smile "We are doing everything we can to help and provide for our people, as always" he says

"May I ask, what the different colors mean?" Donna asks quietly

"Our different colors represent not only our titles, but our personalities and duties of our people. " He explains

"There is yellow, which represents sunlight. They are our teachers and caregivers.

There is green, which represents nature. They are our green thumbs and farmers. They provide us with our food.

Turquoise is for the provider. These are the business owners and shop workers who help run our economy

Blue is loyalty. They are our representatives for the planet. They are the ones communicating with our neighbors and making arrangements with our allies.

Orange is healing. They are our doctors. We haven't many, which is why we require more" he says gesturing towards the three of them

"And you?" the Doctor asks

"I and a couple others are violet, which represents spirit. We are the religious side of our people. But most importantly, we provide structure, we give people a place to go, whether it's to pray or worship, or even hide out for their lives."

"And the eyes?" Martha asks

"All of our eyes are red, representing life and the doorway to our soul" he answers

"Oh man, that is brilliant" the Doctor says smiling "You guys are a fascinating bunch, I had never known of you until now"

"A lot of people have not mainly because of our not participating in wars, we have stayed out of the spotlight. Very few have heard of us, but we have lived and thrived for thousands of years." Uzata answers

"Do you know who did this to you?" the Doctor asks more seriously, looking over to the suffering people

"We do not know the name of the species, for they are most foreign to us. But we know of their leader, who masks himself and demands the suffering of our people. He is to be known as 'Lup Rău' though we know nothing of the translation or of his kind.

It seems the only downside of our peaceful ways is that we do not know how to protect ourselves. We have others fighting our battle for us, like the cowards we are."

"Well then its a good then we are here" the Doctor says putting a hand on the mans shoulder "because I need you to know that the three of us are going to help you win the war."


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor and his companions spent the next several days aiding the Auralians in any way that they could find. The Doctor and Martha jumped right into doctoring the sick and injured, resulting in people getting better faster, while more and more people came to the survivor camp from injuries or to hideout.

Donna helped by going back and forth between jobs. She had helped the farmers carry in and sort out the most recent load of food, and also helped serve everyone their meals. During the day, she spent most of her time with the families, trying to get the new incoming families comfortable in their new situation, and helping them in any way she could. She also spent a lot of time entertaining the kids so the parents could rest. She told them stories about Earth, and explained to them her favorite movies. She had also taught them how to play telephone, hopscotch, and freeze tag.

During this time they were waiting for Uzata and the representatives of the planet to locate where the next groups of men were being dropped off to battle. The three of them will be joining, to get to the source of the fighting and in hopes to find more information about Lup Rău and his men. The day had come and the trucks were being loaded with supplies and weapons for the men going to war. The Doctor, Donna, and Martha were all standing by, waiting to load into the truck.

"So, do you know where we are headed to?" the Doctor asks Uzata, staring at the truck load of weapons

"Just about 50 miles away, in one of our planets biggest cities. It is where we believe a majority of their men have made camp." Uzata replies

They see Donna and Martha signal the Doctor to start loading. The Doctor turns to Uzata, and waves him goodbye.

"Thank you Doctor, for everything you are doing for us, and everything you have already done so far." Uzata calls warmly

"Don't you worry, this planet will be back in order in no time" the Doctor assures, getting into the truck, and then they set off.

During the drive, the men they are riding with start telling them stories about the history of their planet, and what their life was like growing up. The three listen intently, fascinated by their lifestyle. The men start getting rowdy, and start chanting an ancient Auralian hymn

"Do you have any idea what to expect?" Martha asks the Doctor quietly, making sure only Donna can hear them

"Not much, I expect their soldiers to be easy to bypass, but it's their leader I'm worried about. This Lup Rău character sounds mighty dangerous." The Doctor whispers back, looking out the window.

When they get to the city, everyone gets out, and the men start unloading the truck. Afterwards, The Doctor and his companions are led by the men across the way to search for a place to set camp.

After about 10 minutes of walking, everyone is knocked to the ground as a bomb explodes in the building next to them. It seems the fighting has already begun, as the soldiers escorting them start loading their weapons. The war scene has already started to unfold. They hear guns and weapons going off. They hear some kind of creature giving orders in a foreign tongue, small explosions happening left and right.

"First unit left, second unit right, third unit, with me! You three, find what you can, and stay out of sight!" They hear the lead soldier yell, as the soldiers quickly disperse, leaving them on their own

"Guess we're starting right away!" the Doctor yells, quickly standing and helping the other two up. "We need to go now!" he runs back the way they came a little and down an abandoned street, the other two following.

The Doctor, Donna, and Martha sneak around the battle for a while. They try to track down which direction the enemy soldiers are coming from, and head that way. After what feels like an hour, they stop to catch their breath.

"We haven't even accomplished anything!" Donna whines, leaning against the wall, holding one foot up "I should've worn trainers for this"

"Yeah, it seems like we've gotten nowhere" Martha adds "Do you have any idea where we should -?"

"SHH! Get back!" The Doctor hisses, pushing the two into the shadows. They hear more voices speaking in foreign tongue. The Doctor slowly peeks around the corner to look at them. He sees two creatures, one in more colorful armor than the other. The one he assumes to be one of the leaders is hissing his commands. They all concentrate to acknowledge what they are saying, even though they knew they couldn't understand it. As they are listening, the Doctor distinguishes the name Lup Rău

"We got one!" the Doctor whispers triumphantly "Let's go"

The three follow the men through a couple of abandoned buildings where some of the battle has started to die down. After a few minutes, the men stop in what seems like a second story ballroom and put all of their equipment down, weapons still in hand, and they look as though they have started patrolling the rest of the second story.

"I think this is where Lup Rău is" the Doctor concludes "Either they are hiding him here, or he is about to arrive"

The Doctor notices the equipment they have put down in the opposite corner of the room. "Stay right here, I'm just going to see what's in those bags" the Doctor instructs

The Doctor slowly sneaks around the big room, the closer he gets to those bags, the better he can figure out what kind of creatures they are

Donna and Martha are across the room watching the Doctor with wide eyes. Once the Doctor reaches the bag, he sees that they are locked shut.

"Rassilon!" the Doctor curses to himself, he turns back to the others "I need my screwdriver. Someone bring it." He had forgotten he gave it to Martha so that she could further examine her patients back at the survivor camp

Donna grabs his screwdriver out of Martha's pocket and starts sneaking over his way

"Be careful Donna!" the Doctor hisses

As she has made it about halfway across the room, they hear the men starting to shout. Everyone's eyes go wide 'They see me' Donna thinks to herself 'how great is that'

She turns her head towards the Doctor. He holds his hand out for her to toss it the rest of the way to him. She tosses it to him, as soon as it lands in his hand another bomb goes off outside and the room starts to shake, knocking Donna over. Soldiers bust into the room from different sides and start a battle scene of their own. The soldiers fighting for the Auralians have found their way into the building and are fighting Lup Rău's to siege the room. A battle surrounds them all around.

They haven't even seemed to notice Donna. The Doctor sees Martha rush over to Donna to help, and turns to continue working with the equipment. As Martha is helping Donna up, the room continues to grow louder and louder with men yelling their battles cries. They both stand to look over at the commotion to see one of the walls be blasted out, making a big booming sound and making dust go everywhere. As the dust start to settle, they see a silhouette standing in the center as more men start to run around it into the room and join the battle themselves. The two couldn't recognize these men's armor

"I think they are on our side" Donna yells loud enough so Martha could hear. Once the dust settles, they look again at the silhouette and they see this time a woman in full black attire, her hair pulled back and combat boots on. They look closer to see that her skin is covered with dirt and bruises, as she joins in the battle herself.

The girls watch in awe as the woman starts to take down Lup Rău's men left in right with her bare hands. Whoever she was, she knew what she was doing, they think. Once the Doctor is done with the equipment he stands and turns around. He sees Donna and Martha standing there staring, he starts to walk over to them. As he is walking to them, he follows their gaze questioningly and freezes on the spot, unable to move

The Doctor couldn't understand what he was seeing. Was he going crazy? Was he hallucinating? He couldn't believe who he is looking at. That's her, he thinks. That can't be her. But there was her golden blonde hair, longer than the last time he had seen her. He was seeing Rose Tyler, his Rose Tyler before him, fighting along the soldiers, taking one man down at a time.

The scene starts to die down with only a few of Lup Rău's men left, the woman orders her men to barricade the outside while she handled the rest herself. Donna and Martha watch her and she takes out the last man, slamming him down to the ground forcefully. Once she is done with him, the woman then turns on the spot quickly towards Donna and Martha. They can see the adrenaline from the battle in the intensity in her eyes.

As the woman takes a quick second to acknowledge the two, her face immediately softens and her body relaxes.

"Oh, sorry." The woman says to them with a chuckle in her voice. "Heat of the moment, you know?"

Donna and Martha are still wide eyed staring at the woman, as she approaches them.

"Do you need any help?" she asks "Do you need help finding a place to hide out?"

"That's alright. We're actually supposed to be here for some reason" Donna recovers.

"What are your names?" the woman asks reaching out her hand

"I'm Donna, and this is Martha" Donna replies. She shakes both of their hands, as the doctor is still in shock from what he is seeing.

"Well, don't worry 'cause this battle is very much over now" the woman says confidently

Before he realizes, the doctor finds himself walking towards them, his face still in shock

It is then when the woman finally sees the Doctor, eyes widening herself.

Donna and Martha follow her gaze to see the Doctor walking up to them.

"Uhh.." Martha says as she looks back and forth between the two

"Doctor, tell us, what going on?" Donna asks, concerned.

The Doctor takes a second to look over at Donna, his face full of confusion, but his eyes look overjoyed. After only a second he looks back to Rose.

Donna takes a look at his expression, and then realizes who the woman is. She is the next one to widen her eyes, mouth hanging open. Donna starts hitting Martha's arm over and over in excitement.

"Donna, what's going on? Who is she?" Martha asks more confused than ever, while Donna is busy watching the other two stare at each other. "Donna" she tries again

"Martha" Donna says turning towards her. "it's –"

"Rose" the hear the Doctor say simply, they turn to see him still staring at her

Then it was finally Martha's turn to widen her eyes "Rose?! Like THE Rose?!" she asks bewildered, looking at Donna

"Doctor" Rose finally says

And with that the Doctor closes the rest of the space between them and pulls her into him in an intense hug. They hug each other harder and fiercer than they have ever hugged anyone else.

Donna and Martha watch them, eyes still wide, trying to grasp the situation.

After a few moments they finally pull away from each other.

"Not to be rude or anything, cause it's actually quite wonderful finally meeting you, but how are you here?" Donna chimes in

"I made it back quite a while ago, and I've just been hanging out, looking for trouble since then" Rose replies

"Wait, so you're traveling by yourself?" Martha asks

"Sounds like when we first met" the Doctor says fondly, causing a smile on both of their faces. "We still haven't found their leader yet" he says after a moment

"Oh, you don't have to anymore" Rose says matter of factly, confusing the Doctor.

Just then a soldier came in waiting for Rose's command.

"Oh, um, all men head back to your home planet. Thank you for all your help" Rose tells the man

"Yes, Lup Rău" he responds with a foreign salute, and leaves the room

The Doctor, Donna, and Martha all have their mouth hanging open, more confused than ever

Rose turns back to them, seeing the expression on their face. "S'what they call me sometimes" she says sheepishly, gesturing towards the door.

"Oh! I am so stupid!" the doctor yells abruptly, startling the other three. "So. So. So. SO Stupid!" he says smacking his head repeatedly. "Why didn't I figure that out before?!" he says throwing his arms up in the air

Donna and Martha look at him like he grew another head. "Wh-.. what is going on?" Donna asks concerned

"Lup Rău" the Doctor says, turning towards the two "Lup Rău…. is Romanian for…-"

"Bad Wolf" Rose finishes


	5. Chapter 5

"Wait.. doesn't that mean you're the guy we're after?" Martha asks, looking back and forth between Rose and the Doctor for confirmation

Rose chuckles to herself and sighs, looking down at the ground and shaking her head. After a second she looks back up at them. "Have a ride back?" she asks

"Rose?" the Doctor questions, a worried look forming on his face

"Come on" Rose says, turning away from them, heading towards the door "Come walk with me and I'll do my best to explain" The Doctor follows without a second thought, and Donna and Martha give each other questioning looks but follow him close behind.

They head out of the building and into the now completely deserted streets. Rose starts leading them up a road the other three haven't been down yet.

"Okay, here goes." Rose begins, the others already clinging to her every word "When I came back, I wound up on a small, outcast planet, and got taken in by some natives. I didn't feel comfortable giving my name, so I told them it was bad wolf. Since they didn't speak English, they had to use their make shift translator after I told them I was from Earth. However the closest earth language that they could translate was Romanian. So everyone I met just ended up calling me Lup Rău, which I didn't mind, really."

After Rose finished her sentence, she stopped talking, but continued to walk. The other three look at her, waiting for her to continue while Rose takes a few moments to find the right way to explain things.

"Well…uh" she continues "to answer your question." She says, looking up at them "Yeah, I am Lup Rău, and you might have been after me. But no, I did not send an army to attack and enslave this planet." She finishes.

The Doctor lets out a discrete sigh of relief that he didn't know he was holding

"I just so happened to be visiting a neighboring planet when word first got out that this one was attacked." Rose explains, looking back down at her feet as she walked. "They were going to send their forces out as alliances either way, but they needed someone to lead them and come up with strategies and plans and what not. Since I ended up agreeing, we had already made it to this planet before the Auralians even requested for help. So by the time the attacks were still going on, we were already fighting back. The Auralians confused my men for the ones who attacked, and heard of my name Lup Rău."

They walked in silence for a few moments, taking in all that she had said

"None of them ever saw what I looked like though." Rose continues after a while "So it was like we were helping them take their planet back, but at the same time I was a wanted person. We had to be discreet about all of our locations and movements just in case."

"But the war is officially over now. That was us taking out the last of their men just now, while my men took care of their leaders this morning. Then I sent them all home, as you just saw. Now my job is done" Rose finishes and stops walking

"So you're carrying weapons and killing people now?" the Doctor asks softly, not wanting to know the answer

"Does it look like I have any weapons on me?" Rose asks, holding her arms up and giving them a spin "Did any of you see me kill even one of those men? My job was to give my men a job to do, and buy them some time to do it. I just fought their men off long enough so my men could take care of the situation. I told them from the very beginning that I wasn't going to be doing any killing." She finishes, hands on her hips

The Doctor slowly smiled at her, giving her his fondest look. She gives him her best Rose Tyler tongue smiles. "Right well' she carries on "Do you need a ride back or not?" she asks. She turns around and nods to the left and they see a jeep-like vehicle waiting for them. "S'my ride" she says cheekily

After the Doctor gives her the directions, Rose drives the three back to the survivor camp. After much hesitation, the Doctor convinces Rose to come inside with them

"Oh my! Thank you so very much for all you have done for our planet Doctor!" Uzata cries from relief, shaking the Doctor's hand violently. The Doctor had told Uzata of the news, and the room of citizens was booming with celebration.

"Actually the three of us didn't do much at all. She's actually the one who saved your planet" The Doctor corrects, grabbing Rose and pulling her beside him despite her resistance

"Oh? And who is this?" Uzata asks

"She led your first responder's army. She is the entire reason why they defeated your attackers today" the Doctor says proudly, as Rose just gives a small wave and tries to hide her embarrassment

"Why! However could we possibly repay you? And what was your name my dear?" Uzata asks

"Oh well, uh, I…" Rose begins sheepishly

"They call her the Bad Wolf" the Doctor emphasizes

"Everyone! May we thank the Bad Wolf for saving us our home. Restoring the peace that we know so well, and taking care of our attackers first hand!" Uzata announces to his people. The entire shelter civilization erupts in cheers and applause towards Rose. After a few moments the Auralians start chanting "BAD WOLF, BAD WOLF, BAD WOLF" Rose watches with tears forming in her eyes. Donna and Martha watch everything in completes and utter amazement. The Doctor squeezes Rose's hand, causing her to look to him, and he pulls her into a hug.

"Well, thanks for having us. We should really get back" the Doctor says after a few hours of celebration

The Doctor looks around the room to see Rose by herself in a corner. She is looking down at her watch, and gets up to head out the door. "Where in the world do you think you're going?" she hears the Doctor ask, startling her. She turns around to see the Doctor, Donna, and Martha standing behind her.

"Wh...wuh?" she asks, hand on her chest trying to catch her breath

"It's time to go" the Doctor says simply. Rose tries to hide the disappointment on her face, and attempts her best smile.

"What do you say? Fancy traveling on the TARDIS again?" the Doctor asks

Rose's face goes white and her breath hitches. She backs up a few feet to lean against the wall, one hand over her mouth as she tries to process this. Tears are already starting to swell up in her eyes.

The Doctor turns to look and Donna and Martha who both give him a smile. "Come on, let's go then" the Doctor says nonchalantly, walking up to Rose and helping her off the wall. "Let's go home Rose"

And with that Rose wraps her arms around his neck, squeezing him as hard as she can. He loops his arms around her waist and hugs her with as much fierceness.

They say their goodbyes to the Auralians and then head back to the TARDIS. The Doctor grabs Rose's hand as they walk, causing her to smile up at him, and he replies with one of his big toothy grins. Donna and Martha walk in front of them, occasionally looking back at the reunited couple and then giving each other looks.

Once they get to the storage closet, the Doctor lets Rose go in first. She opens the door and once again has a hitch in her breath when she sees the TARDIS. She runs up to it and touches the door, looking around at all the details in the wood and on the sign. The other three watch her in awe as she gives a sniff. They see her wrap her arms around the TARDIS as much as she can in a hug.

Rose hears the Doctor walk up behind her. She turns around quick on the spot. "Please! Let me" Rose grins to the Doctor. She reaches to a string around her neck and pulls it out of her shirt revealing her TARDIS key she had gotten when she first started traveling with him.

"You.. you still have it?" the Doctor asks wide eyed

"Of course I do. I never go anywhere without it. It's a memento of my home." Rose says quietly, looking at the key "Ever since the last time I saw you, it's been my version of a good luck charm. It's the only thing that has been keeping me sane, I wouldn't dare travel anywhere without it"

The Doctor lifts his hand up to wipe away her tears with his thumb. She gives him a smile as she turns to unlock the door. She puts the key in, and turns the lock. She hears the click and giggles to herself. She pushes open the door and look into the TARDIS. She looks back at the Doctor who is nodding her on. She turns back and takes her first step back into the TARDIS.


	6. Chapter 6

By the time the other three step into the TARDIS, Rose has already made her way to the console. They watch her as she stops, slowly raises her hand, and begins to run it along the console. As soon as she touches it, lights begin to flicker, and they hear the TARDIS give them a loud, warm hum of approval. Rose lets out a heavy sigh of relief, tears forming in her eyes.

The Doctor makes slowly makes his way to her, letting her have a moment with the TARDIS. Once he gets to her, he grabs her hand and squeezes it tight, causing her to look up at him, already crying. After a moment she flashes him her famous Rose Tyler smile, causing the both of the Doctors hearts to speed up. He replies with his best smiles reserved only for Rose, and then he grabs her shoulders and gently pulls her into a hug. She complies and shuffles towards him a few steps, closing the distance between them. The Doctor wraps his arms around her gently, resting the side of his head on hers, as Rose pulls her arms up around his waist, burying her face into his chest. The hug was gentle and calm, but neither of them wanted it to ever end.

They stayed like that for several moments, as Martha and Donna watched them from the door in awe, both of their jaws hanging slightly open. The Doctor pulls away and looks at Rose again. They both take a moment just to look at each other. The Doctor never thought he would see his Rose again! But here she was, in the TARDIS, looking back at him. It slightly worried him how she got back in the first place, collapsing universes and whatnot, but the Doctor wouldn't dare thinking about that in a moment like this. He just wanted to hold her forever and never let her go ever again.

It was then that the Doctor realized there were two other people in the room, watching their every move. The doctor reaches both of his hands up and cups her face, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "Come on then, there's something else to reunite with." He says softly, grabbing her hand and looking at the other two to follow. He pulls her through the console room and into the many hallways. He brings them to a room Donna and Martha have never seen, with an elegant Rose engraved into the door.

Rose's eyes widen as they stop in front of it, and he throws the door open, letting everyone look in. There was Rose's bedroom, she gasps at the sight. A room she loved so dearly, and was her most comfortable spot in the entire universe that she thought she would never see again. She begins to notice her clothes thrown out on the floor, bed not made, makeup everywhere on the counter, heck, it even smells like her perfume she used to wear every day. 'It's exactly how I left it' Rose concludes to herself. 'The morning we went to visit Mum and found out about the ghosts, it's as if I haven't even left'

"Doctor.." she begins, looking up at him "You kept it?" He responds with a nod. "It looks like no one's even touched it since.."

"No" the Doctor says quickly, looking down at his feet, putting his hands in his pockets. "I wouldn't dare touch it myself, let alone let someone else."

"Well then he did a bloody good job of it" Donna proclaims "Cause I've never seen this door in my entire life!"

"Don't worry, me neither" Martha says

Rose responds by turning to both of the girls and giving them a smile, putting her hand on Donna's arm

"Alright, well how about we let Rose get settled in, and then afterwards we all can go somewhere for dinner and catch up" the Doctor suggests, looking back and forth between the other three.

They look at each other, and all give their nods of approval. The Doctor shares one more look with Rose, and then they all part ways.

Rose walks into her room, and sees a stick of deodorant lying on her dresser that she forgot to put the cap back on. She goes into her closet, and she sees all of her old favorite outfits she used to adore. She looks over at her bed, and sees that one corner of the sheets had fallen off. She sits down on it, remembering how comfy she thought it was as she sunk down. She lies down, and puts her head on the pillow, closes her eyes and takes everything in. She honestly felt like crying, because this moment is the most she's felt like she was home in a very long time.

Rose sniffs a couple of times and sits up, heading to the bathroom to freshen up. After she's gotten out of the shower, she wraps herself and her hair in a towel, and heads for the closet. She takes a long look at her old clothes. Though she loved them very much at the time, and they will forever have a place in her heart, it's been a long time since Rose had worn them. She has grown up since she last wore them and had a different sense of style completely. Rose hears the TARDIS hum at her, and she turns around to see a new selection of stuff she could choose from.

Rose smiles at this "Thanks ol girl" she says, rubbing her hand on the wall affectionately "Guess we'll have to choose a new wardrobe later"

Rose changes into a blue sweater and a comfy pair of jeans. She heads over to her makeup counter to see what she could do. Rose's sense of makeup has also changed over time. She doesn't wear anywhere near as much makeup as she did then, and has perfected the more natural look for her face. She goes with just mascara, light eyeshadow and blush, and some lip gloss to finish.

As soon as she is done she dries her hair, brushes through it and then finishes with a simple plait.

She takes one more look at herself, and then heads out the door to the console room.

When she gets there, everyone is standing around the console, talking amongst themselves and waiting for her. The Doctor hears her walk in and looks her way, the other two follow his gaze towards her in the doorway and they all greet her with a smile. She replies with a big grin on her face, and runs up the grating towards them.

"So, where are we eating then?" Martha asks, looking around

"Yeah, can we at least promise to make it appetizing?" Donna adds, holding her finger up

The Doctor thinks it over for a second and looks over to Rose "Your choice" he says to her

She looks surprised but starts to think about where they should eat. After only a few seconds of thinking, an answer clicks in her mind, and she looks up at them with a mischievous grin. "Got it" she says


	7. Chapter 7

"Out of all of the places in the universe, you chose here?" Donna asks. She and Martha were sitting together in a corner booth at a fast food restaurant, Rose across the table from them sitting by herself. The Doctor had gone to pay and bring their food, and had promised to grab some extra napkins on the way back.

"Yeah" Rose giggles to her "dunno how I could resist"

Rose had her elbows on the table, her head lying in the palm of one hand while the other one played with the pepper shaker the table provided. Donna was observing her, while looking around the restaurant warily at the other customers, judging who looked the most approachable. Martha sat across from Rose, and was on the phone with her mother. She was making one of her weekly phone calls to prove that she was in fact, still alive. After saying goodbye to her mother for the third time, she hangs up the phone with a big sigh and joins the conversation.

"Yeah, but Earth? On the janky side of London?" Donna asks "Not even a café somewhere that highly resembled an earth pub?"

"Believe me, can't tell you how bad I was itching to come back to this Earth" Rose says, still looking down, concentrated on the shaker "There's nothing like being able to go back to where you came from, even if it's just for a visit" she says nonchalantly

Donna takes a glance over at Martha, immediate sympathy in both of their eyes.

"Alright" Martha says, trying to deter the subject a little "What's so good about this specific place you brought us to?" she says, crossing her arms and putting her elbows on the table, leaning herself forward

"I'll tell you what" Rose begins, looking up at them "It's –"

"Chips!" the Doctor announces proudly, walking up to the table

"—that" Rose finishes, still looking at them and pointing a finger over towards the Doctor

"Chips?" Donna asks as the Doctor starts passing everyone their food "Just plain ol chips?"

"Hell yeah" Rose says excitedly, grabbing her serving from the Doctor "Just doesn't taste the same in the other universe."

"I'm guessing you have a thing for chips?" Martha asks, amused at Rose's enthusiasm

"Hah, yeah" Rose laughs "I could give you many reasons why"

"It was our first date" the Doctor says warmly, finally sitting down next to Rose, making sure to sit a couple of inches closer than anyone would normally.

She looks over at him with a bright smile from the familiar reference "S'good first example" she says, putting her hand on his arm and leaning her head on his shoulder for a few seconds. Then she pulls away and starts chomping away at her chips, the turn of the conversation leaving Martha and Donna shocked, adding more and more to their curiosity

The four of them spend the next half hour joking and laughing at their conversations, having an all-around good time. It reminds Rose of when she, Mickey, Jack, and the Doctor before he regenerated did the same thing in Cardiff.

She looks over at the Doctor and sees he is explaining something to Donna, and just takes the opportunity to look at him. She couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that she was with him again. This man that she admired and praised with all of her soul, and loved with all of her heart, she never thought that she would ever get to even see his face again.

She looks up at his furrowed eyebrows, and takes a moment to cherish the passion in his eyes. She couldn't wait for things to go back to the way they were before she left. Well, it was impossible for things to be exactly like they were. Things were different now, and a lot of things have changed. But she was more than willing to get it back as close as they can to normal.

Rose was brought out of her thoughts when she realizes Martha had been asking her something

"Sorry, what?" Rose asks

"I asked if you could tell us more about yourself" Martha says "I feel like we're supposed to already know you, when I really don't know the first thing about you"

"Ah!" Rose answers, sitting up straighter "Right, sorry 'bout that, quite rude of me" she rambles nervously, wiping her greasy hands off in her napkin. When she is done, she gives a deep breath of preparation and hold out her hand across the table.

"Hello there" she begins "My name is Rose Marion Tyler" Donna and Martha give her a look of amusement and both shake her hand

"I lived here in London at the Powell Estates with my mum, Jackie Tyler" she continues. The Doctor gives an unnoticeable wince at the sound of her name, as he starts recollecting his memories of her. Though he would never admit it, he missed her. Obviously he missed Rose more, but no matter how much they would grind each other's gears, Jackie never failed to make him feel like part of the family.

"I was a couple of months from turning 20 years old when I met the Doctor.." Rose says, Donna and Martha's eyebrows rising in surprise. They couldn't guess that he would ever take anyone that young with him, if anyone heard this story out of context, it would sound rather dodgy.

"I was working at a shop when the mannequins came to life and tried to kill me, long story short, he saved my life and then we went our separate ways" Rose adds quickly, noticing their expressions "Henrik's, s'not a great place to work" she jokes

"Hold on a tic" Donna interjects "didn't that place catch on fire or something?"

"I heard it blew up" Martha adds

Rose makes her mouth thin and gives them an over exaggerated look of annoyance, not saying anything, but pointing one finger to her left towards the Doctor

"Are you kidding me" Donna says, enunciating every word "we have to travel 'cross the city to shop anywhere else!" she exclaims as Martha giggles at her

"Oi!" the Doctor says, realizing where her finger was pointed "I was tracking them down. And I saved your life!" he adds defensively, looking to Rose

"That you did" Rose laughs, trying to control herself before she lost it "And yet you still forgot the extra napkins" she finishes, using her hands to gesture around the table

The Doctor narrows his eyes at her in mock annoyance, as she gives him her best innocent look

"I don't mean to bring down the mood" Martha begins "But, isn't your mother back in the other universe? I can't imagine how you can do it, I missed mine to much when I traveled with the Doctor in this one!"

The Doctor immediately notices Rose's eyes get half a shade sadder, and her face drop just a hitch. But he sees her bounce back a quick second later and put on a forced, small smile. No one else could have noticed this, oh but the Doctor did.

"S'my entire family" Rose replies "Wasn't terribly bad in the other universe, 'cause at least I still had them. Mum, Dad, Mickey, Tony. I miss them more than I could've ever imagined, but I've been on my own just long enough to put it at the back of my mind. Doesn't sting as bad as it used to" she finishes

"Yeah, about that" the Doctor says, putting his right arm up on the back of the seat behind Rose "you never told me how you got back"

"Worked for dad at Torchwood for a little while, taught me all there was to know about running the place. Got my special training in" she starts

"So that's where the ninja moves came in" Donna jokes

"Dad, Mickey, and a high security level team started working on a device to get me back without damaging any other universes. I guess they knew how bad I wanted to be back. They worked on it for quite a long time. So I got to have my moments with my family. We got to give our proper goodbyes. I don't regret it for one second, but it doesn't make me miss them any less." Rose finishes, looking down at her hands as she messed with her thumbs

Donna and Martha seemed content with her answer as the nodded their heads in her direction. The Doctor however, could tell something was off from what she had told them. He didn't think she was lying to them, Rose wouldn't do that. But he had a strong feeling there was something Rose just wasn't mentioning.

He noticed, back at the battle scene where they found each other, she looked different to him. Obviously, he realizes it's been a few years since they've seen each other, but…

He then notices the subject has changed, the girls were now talking about their favorite restaurants in London. At least, that's what he was able to gather from the conversation

'She's just grown up more since then, grown more into herself.' The Doctor thinks to himself. She still had the same signature looks, but on a woman's body now instead of a teenager's. Her hair was grown back out past her shoulders, she had curves now (the doctor didn't fail to notice), she carried herself differently. She was a little taller and thinner. Though, she smiled exactly the same, and was as enthusiastic as ever before.

But the Doctor couldn't help but notice her eyes looked different. They were the same big, brown, passionate ones he knew and loved. She could convince anyone with her brilliant smile and bright eyes, and enveloped them with her intensity. But even though they were still big and bright, they now also looked tired.

It wasn't something out of the ordinary that Martha or Donna could pinpoint, they had just met Rose. But the Doctor had known Rose better than he knew anyone else.

The Doctor was brought back from his thoughts to see Rose smiling up at him. He looks back at her and takes a moment to look into her eyes to confirm his suspicion. Yep, there they were, brilliant as ever before, but they seem worn. The Doctor can't decide if he should mention his worries, as he didn't want to upset her in any way. He decides to let it go and not worry her any more than she has been the past couple of years. 'She's been through more than she ever should have to in her life' the Doctor concludes, pushing the thought to the back of his mind.

"Come on" he says, smiling back at her, then looking over to the other two across the table "We all need some rest"

They finish up their food and head back to the TARDIS, each stepping in one at a time. As soon as they make it to the console, Rose puts a hand on the Doctor's arm and leans forwards to place a peck on his cheek. She then looks over to Donna and Martha and gives them a gratified smile. When they smile back, she starts backing up, giving everyone a lingering look, and turns to head to her room for the rest of the night without a word.

The Doctor's gaze follows her until she's out the room. As soon as she was gone, the Doctor gave a big audible sigh, running one hand through his hair with the other one in his pocket.

"Well she's quite brilliant" Donna concludes out loud to them

"Yeah" the Doctor says simply and fondly, swinging his arm down, looking to the empty door frame she left from

"I cannot believe we got to meet her, what were the chances?" Martha adds

Donna and Martha chat for a few more minutes, and then head off to their respective bedrooms, leaving the Doctor with his thoughts.

He gives another audible sigh and plops himself down on the captain's seat, kicking his feet up to rest on the console and crossing his arms.

"She's back" the Doctor quietly says to himself

The Doctor lifts his head up as he hears the TARDIS giving a loud hum and flickering of the lights in the console room, resulting in a soft chuckle from him "I know, I know" he replies "You may be the only one more excited than me"


	8. Chapter 8

When Rose woke up, she was surprised at how great she felt. She had slept better that night than she had in years, she couldn't even remember being allowed to feel this well rested. She rubbed her eyes and stared up at her ceiling, recalling all that had happened in the past day, smiling when she remembered the moment she and the Doctor locked eyes for the first time as they found each other again.

She sat up, swinging her legs off the side, feet on the floor. She blinked several times, trying to wake herself up more, and then smiled as she heard the beautiful hum through the walls. Above all, she grateful she was once again able to experience the sensation of waking up to the TARDIS every day.

She gets out of bed and walks out of her room, slowly making her way down the hallway to find anyone else. She finds her way past the library door, glancing in to see Donna and Martha sitting on the luscious sofa, having a chat. Rose backs up and enters in to tell them good morning. The other two notice and look over at her, grins on both of their faces.

"Well there you are" Martha giggles as Rose yawns, heading for an open spot on the couch, sitting down at the end, Donna in the middle. Sitting sideways on the couch, she brings her legs up, leaning to her side against the back, hugging a pillow to her chest.

"We were starting to worry about you" Donna adds

Rose looks over to them with a blank look on her face, trying to process why they would feel the need to be worried about her. It was then when Rose realized her body was still trying to wake itself up the rest of the way. Her eyes were still heavy and blurry from sleep, she kept yawning every ten seconds, and she couldn't get herself to understand what Donna and Martha were talking about. She sees the other two looking to her, waiting for a response, so she uses what little effort she had at the moment to muster up a face of question.

"You slept a lot longer than we thought you would" Donna answers "We figured you would anyway, but after a while we debated checking in on you"

"The Doctor told us to not worry about checking in on you, something about the TARDIS letting him know if something was wrong" Martha tries to explain

"How long was I asleep then?" Rose asks with a small chuckle, lifting her arms up to stretch

"Well I don't know exactly when you fell asleep" Donna begins "But it's been about fourteen hours since we've even seen you, almost fifteen"

Rose stops stretching to put one of her hands in a fist of victory in front of her face, closing her eyes "Personal best" she says to them, resulting in a giggle from them.

The other two girls watch her with amused looks

"Don't worry though. You know, with the TARDIS, it could be five in the afternoon or three in the morning. We don't know how to tell. It might as well be your morning" Martha offers to her with a giggle

"Well then" Rose concludes, shifting herself to sit normally on the couch, sitting towards the edge and throwing the pillow behind her "Care to join me for breakfast?"

"Breakfast?" Martha asks, one eyebrow raising

"Well" Rose says, almost too similar to the Doctor "Breakfast for me, maybe lunch or dinner for you. Who doesn't like breakfast for dinner?" she finishes, standing up

Martha and Donna look to each other, and throw their pillows to the side, standing up themselves

The three find their way to the kitchen and start preparing breakfast. Donna was in charge of the toast and bacon, Martha was in charge of the pancakes, while Rose was in charge of everyone's drinks and condiments, and setting the table.

Once everything was cooked, Martha and Donna sat down at the table, ready to chow down, but waiting for Rose to join them with their drinks. Rose had given Donna her orange juice and Martha her apple juice, and she had just stuck a kettle on the stove for tea. Rose gives the other two the okay to start eating, as she sits across from them, waiting for the kettle.

"I can't say I've ever eaten like this on the TARDIS" Donna says happily, shoving a forkful of pancakes into her mouth

"Don't think I've eaten more than a bowl of cereal for breakfast here" Martha adds, before chugging on her juice

"Yeah" Rose giggles at them, getting up from her chair once she hears the kettle call to her. She walks over to the counter to prepare the rest of the tea "This is the definition of domestic, which we all know, he claims he doesn't do" she says, turning her back to them

They continue eating their breakfast, when Donna looks over to see Martha looking up at something. She follows her gaze to see the Doctor poking his head through the door frame, curiosity etched on his face, looking around the room, Rose still turned away from them.

He turns his head to the right to see them looking at him. He brings the rest of his self into the room quickly, realizing he had been caught. "Followed my nose" he uses as an excuse

"As would I" Rose replied, turning back to them, a cup of tea in hand. Rose hands the Doctor the cup of tea. "Good morning darling" she greets, placing a kiss on his cheek, resulting in a grin from him

"You remembered how I like it" the Doctor says warmly looking into his cup "May I join you?" he asks everyone, Rose already turned back away from them

"But of course" Martha replies

The Doctor sits across from the two, already loading food onto his plate. Rose finishes her tea and sits with the others at the table, loading some food onto her plate as well.

"May I have the jam?" The Doctor asks nobody in particular, focusing on his breakfast. Rose reaches to then end of the table to grab the jam, and then hands it to him. "Thanks very much" he says looking to her as she smiles right back. He playfully bumps his shoulders to hers, nudging her a little in appreciation, and then turns his focus right back to his food

Rose grins at him and turns her head to see Martha and Donna watching them carefully. She knew what they wanted to say, but didn't know how to say it in front of him

"He claims" she repeats to them, trying to hide her smile from him. Donna and Martha grin widely at this, resulting in a confused look from the Doctor.

"Basically" Rose elaborates to them "Just cook a meal and give 'im two minutes" The three girls laugh, causing the Doctor to shift his attention to them

"I have a nagging feeling that I should be insulted" the Doctor concludes, eyeing them suspiciously

"Not at all" Martha says as innocently as she can.

After breakfast is finished, Rose thanks Donna and Martha for the food (and for the warm welcome) by washing everyone's dishes, enlisting the Doctor to dry them. Rose stands at the sink with the Doctor next to her as they work in unison, as the other two remain at the table chatting away.

"So" the Doctor pipes up enthusiastically "Where would you like your first adventure back on the TARDIS to be? Or maybe when?" The Doctor jokes to her as Rose hands him a wet plate, giving him a small smile "Actually, the way we should probably go about this is 'where and when'"

"He keeps mentioning this Medusa Cascade!" Martha adds in "He seems to bring it up at least once or twice an adventure"

"I heard that he took both of you guys to New Earth!" Donna voices, holding her finger up "I gotta tell you, I can't help but feel jealous that I'm the only one here who hasn't been there

"Yeah, it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies when he took me" Martha says

"When I took Rose, we quarantined a hospital and had to heal everyone thanks to the cat nuns" The Doctor says, frowning at the memory of the nuns "But thanks to us" he says glancing once again at Rose "A couple of years later was the start of New New York's golden age"

"And what about when you took me?" Martha asks, arm folded in front of her

"That was hundreds of years later" the Doctor answers "There was hardly any life above ground, and too many people didn't even know what New New York looked like. But we saved the day didn't we? Kept them from a failed economy, we did!" the Doctor gestures his towel to her

"Right" Donna concludes "Well then how about we land in the midst of New New York's best years. Or heck, maybe even go somewhere on New Earth besides New New York!"

"What do you say, Rose?" The Doctor asks, turning quickly but stopping when he sees her. She hadn't said a word the entire conversation, and was looking down at the sink as she worked. Her lips tight and her eyes sad as she focused entirely too hard on scrubbing the pan.

"Rose?" the Doctor says quietly, causing Martha and Donna to look their way. Rose tries to ignore him, as she was trying her hardest not to tear up on the spot. She did not want to make a habit of crying every time someone had a conversation with her. Instead she willed herself to scrubbing even harder "Rose" the Doctor tries again, taking a step toward her, hand up ready to touch her arm.

Before he gets to, Rose finally looks up from the dish, looking straight ahead instead of at him "Right" she says rigidly, dropping the pan the short distance to the sink, leaning her hands on the counter and angling her head down to look at the ground. All eyes are on her now as they hear her give a shaky sigh.

"Sorry" she says after a moment, standing straight and finally looking to everyone "Don't mean to be the downer here" she says, leaning herself against the counter, facing everyone. "It's just" she begins, looking down at her hands. The others watch, not sure of what had upset her.

When Rose builds her confidence up enough, she turns to the Doctor and finally meets his eyes "I think you should take me to the Powell Estates" whatever they were expecting, it wasn't that.


	9. Chapter 9

"Me and Mum talked about it all the time" Rose says, looking down at her feet

The Doctor eyes grew somber as he began to understand. The Tyler flat, they never got a chance to clean it out. They were forced to relocate into a completely different universe with nothing to take but the clothes on their back. It was the same place that Rose spent the first nineteen years of her life, before she met the Doctor. All of their precious family photos were there, all of Jackie's favorite cooking pans, their family quilts, Rose's childhood toys…

They could go the day after Canary Warf happened, before they were ever put on the list of the dead. If they went at the right time, everything would be exactly how they left it the morning they went to visit Jackie…

"She made me promise time and time again that if I ever made it back to our Earth, it would be one of the first things I'd do" she explains shakily, once again trying to control herself enough to not start crying. She feels a hand slowly intertwine with hers, as the Doctor moves himself closer to her. After a long silence, she feels him squeeze her hand, and looks up to him

"Of course" the Doctor says gently, resulting in a smile from her

"You guys can go to New Earth if you'd like." Rose sniffs, looking to the others "Give me a day or two and just swing back by to pick me up afterwards"

"Nonsense" Donna says, waving off the idea immediately

"Obviously we're going to help you" Martha says, both of them giving Rose a look of support

Rose lets go of the Doctor's hand and walks up to the table, pulling Donna and Martha to her for a group hug, to which they happily oblige. After a couple of seconds, Rose intensifies her hug, squeezing them as hard as she can in her appreciation, resulting in giggle from the other two.

The Doctor watches them with a small smile on his face. He never would've guessed in any of his lives, that he would see his Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, and Donna Noble standing in his TARDIS kitchen, sharing a group hug and giggling together. It was moments like this that made him very thankful the three girls got along with each other this much, as he shuddered thinking how it would be with the alternative.

The four make it to the Powell Estates, and Rose leads them all to the Tyler's door. She grabs the key from her jacket pocket and sticks it into the lock

"You ready for your tour?" Rose playfully asks the others. "For starters, the day after I met the Doctor I hear a noise from outside, I look to find him staring straight at me through that!" she exclaims and she points down to the cat door "Then had the nerve to ask me why I lived here!"

"Oh boy" Donna grins, rubbing her hands "can't wait for the gossip that's about to come"

"Yeah, well" the Doctor says, rubbing a hand in his hair "If you think me now is rude, feel glad you two didn't have to meet me then"

Rose opened the door and then stepped inside, stopping right inside the hallway "This spot right here is where my mum totally snogged the Doctor" Rose chuckled, the other two girls jaws dropping, as the Doctor himself made a face of revulsion at the memory as they followed Rose into the living room

Yep, just as she thought. Exactly like the morning they left it. She even saw the bag of laundry Rose had brought for her mum to do sitting on the arm chair. She looked over at the Doctor to see him staring at it, and she immediately knew he was thinking about the same thing. He shifts his gaze to her, and she gives him a small reassuring smile before she turns away.

"Over there is where the Doctor stayed and had Christmas dinner with me, mum, and Mickey" Rose says, gesturing over to the table

"I definitely cannot imagine that" Martha giggles

"I couldn't either until it happened" Rose agrees, as she moves over to the arm chair "This chair right here, the Doctor would always sit in when we were visiting. Always sat himself five inches from the telly and tried melt his eyeballs"

"Superior Time-Lord physiology" the Doctor squeezes in, though no one hears him say it

"Remember when that UFO crashed into Big Ben and landed in the Thames?" Rose quizzes, both of the other girls nod their heads "He was right here" she finishes, patting the cushion on the back of the chair.

After Rose finishes showing the two girls around, everyone gets to work on their sections of the flat. The Doctor worked in the kitchen, Donna in Jackie's room, Martha in the living room, and Rose in her room. After a couple of hours, Rose finishes up and goes to see the others, walking across the hall to check on Donna.

"Near done here" Donna says, glancing up to see Rose. "I just need to know what to do with these" she says, patting the three full boxes beside her.

"Mum said she wants all clothes donated, and she wants me to keep her jewelry" Rose answers, looking around the room, and then heading to the living room to check on Martha

Rose walks in to see that Martha had four piles of stuff spread out across the couch. Rose had Martha separate everything into different groups to organize all of their stuff, since she didn't want to get rid of any of their family memories. "Looking good here" she says, giving her a thumbs up, and then walking into the kitchen

Rose finds the Doctor with his head shoved into the refrigerator, left hand still on the open door

"Not much in here" the Doctor says out loud, already knowing she was there "Just your basics sauces and some milk." He says standing straight, and turning to glance at her "enough to bring with us to the TARDIS kitchen, if you want."

"S'why not" Rose smiles at him, something catching her eye in one of the top cupboards causing her to look up "Hold on, who are you?" she asks, walking up and reaching to reveal a bottle of wine. "Expensive stuff" she tells the Doctor, gesturing to him with the bottle.

"Thank you Jackie" the Doctor jokes, giving her a smile

"Alright, family stuff we are taking to the TARDIS, all clothes and cookware are being donated." Rose says, everyone standing in the living room together "Might as well donate the furniture as well" she sighs, using her hands to shrug

"Actually, if you don't mind" the Doctor says, holding a finger up "Was wondering if you wouldn't mind bringing this along with us" he finishes, putting a hand on the round dining table

"Really?" Rose asks, excitement in her voice

"It's bigger than the one we have in the kitchen!" Donna exclaims "No more sitting on top of each other"

"And" the Doctor adds, finger once again in the air "It's a lot nicer quality" rubbing the table with his hand. "Oh, and, no way we're leaving here without that" the Doctor says matter of factly, pointing his finger to the arm chair in the living room

Rose grabs his arm and pulls him to her, hugging his side close.

After they load everything into the TARDIS, the flat was left completely bare. Rose stood in the empty living room, looking around. Every excuse she had left to call this her home was now gone, she had to emotionally let go. This chapter in her life was finally over. It made Rose both sad and slightly eager, because at the same time, she now had every reason to call the TARDIS her home.

Rose was mostly feeling relieved, she was extremely thankful that she was able to carry out her promise to her mother.

"Can't tell you how much better I feel." Rose says, hearing the other three in the doorway "Lifts such a weight off my shoulders" she says softly, turning to them

They exit out the apartment for the last time, Rose turning around to slowly lock the door, placing the key back in her pocket afterwards. Rose stands there staring at the door, trying to collect any memories she could from it, her hand still on the door knob. After a few moments, she feels the Doctor intertwine his hand with her free one, squeezing it for comfort. She looks to him, tears in her eyes, but gives him a nod of reassurance, as she finally lets go of the door knob and they walk away from the Powell Estates for the last time.

They drop all of the clothes, furniture, toys, and cook ware off to donate to the nearest domestic abuse shelter in London. Afterwards, Donna and Martha work together to replace the kitchen table with Jackie's, the doctor personally moving his chair to his favorite spot in the library. Rose is in her room going through all of her stuff. She sorts out her mother's jewelry and places in it the beautiful chest the TARDIS provided for her, taking her family pictures, hanging them on the wall and setting them on her wardrobes. She grabs miscellaneous trinkets from the boxes and sets them on her shelves. She sees the pile of her family's quilts, the one her grandmother sewed for her when she was born on top, already knowing where she wanted them to go.

Rose makes her way into the TARDIS library to see the other three already there, Donna and Martha once again on the couch, the Doctor already claiming his chair next to the fireplace. Rose gives them all a smile and walks up to the ottoman in the middle of the room, placing the generous stack of quilts on top of it. Now she had no reason not to cozy up next to the fire with a book, a blanket, and some hot chocolate for some ultimate relaxation if she wanted

Rose turns to sit next to the girls on the couch, plopping down with a big, audible sigh, tilting her head up and closing her eyes. The other three watch her expectantly, not sure of whom should speak first. After a few minutes of silence, they hear another sigh as Rose opens her eyes and pulls herself up to sit on the edge of her seat.

"I dunno about you" she finally says, looking around to the others "but, I'm in desperate need of an adventure"


	10. Chapter 10

The Doctor stood by himself in the middle of a moving crowd. He tinkered with the settings on his sonic screwdriver, muttering to himself in the process. He was waiting for the crowd to thin out in hopes to be able to spot his companions again, or at least one. Though, he wasn't in much of a rush, he was just constantly astounded at how long they could be gone for

After the four of them had rushed to the console room and the Doctor improvised some coordinates, the TARDIS took them to the planet Perelandra X, in the height of its existence. They found the locals in the midst of their annual week long harvest festival.

The Doctor explained to the three girls that the festival is used to commemorate the regrowth of their civilization, after being almost completely wiped out from disease. The streets and houses were decorated all around with streamers and signs. Live bands were playing tunes, allowing the locals to dance around if they pleased. The rich aroma of food filled the air everywhere in town. People were talking lively and cheering to and fro, not missing any chance to share their celebration with each other.

They located the nearest village square, and came across a market, with thousands of locals shopping around. There were stalls of food, jewelry, clothes, trinkets, wood carvings, and well, they imagined this place had everything! The Doctor set the girls loose on the market, each with a stick of unlimited credits, quickly afterwards realizing his mistake. They had already dispersed before the Doctor felt the need to give the speech of 'no wondering off' and 'just because it's unlimited credits, doesn't mean you need an unlimited amount of things' speech, leaving him in a state of confusion, hand ruffling through his hair.

It had been hours later, and he didn't see a chance of regrouping any time soon. He had eventually caught up with Rose and followed her around for a little while, though she was currently investing all her time in a stall that sold mood rings. Ones that were combined from different planets around the galaxy, and were worlds more accurate than the one they sold on earth. You had to wear these ones for a certain amount of time, giving it room to adjust to your natural body temperature on not just your hand, but your whole body.

The Doctor had stepped aside as the vendor was negotiating prices with her. She was always the one to find the best deals, even with an unlimited stick of credits, he chuckles to himself. By the time he had found his way to a stall and bought himself some parts for the TARDIS, he looks back over and finds that his sight of Rose was gone, as the crowd separated them. He then decides to remain in his spot in hopes for someone to find him instead, not letting the half hour that has already passed by discourage him.

He furrows his eyebrows in concentration as his screwdriver beeps at him. He had been meaning to add more settings to it, but he has been a little preoccupied the past couple of days. He considers perhaps finally installing the setting that allowed him to do wood. He found the need to install it ridiculous and unnecessary, but the lack of it had embarrassed him in action more times than not. He decides to push the thought to the side for now, as he does his final click and returns the screwdriver to his trench coat pocket.

His hand is barely empty before he immediately feels someone grab it hard. Startled, he quickly looks to his side to see Rose smiling up at him as she already starts to drag him along with her. "Tea time, yeah?" she says, looking back to him as she pulls his arm along through the crowd.

He watches her as she pulls him along, looking to his hand and sees hers clasped over it, leading up her arm and the denim jacket she wore, her waterfall of golden hair bouncing on it as they moved. He swore that all of this was happening in slow motion, either that or his mind was working into overdrive. She then turns her head back to look at him, wearing the most brilliant Rose Tyler look he's ever seen, as her smile is so wide her eyes have crinkle lines. He looks to her eyes and sees the joy it held; he couldn't understand how her eyes could contain so much life in one look. If that look didn't give anyone a sense of hope, he didn't know what could.

He takes in her face as he sees the golden rays of the setting sun illuminate down at her from behind, highlighting all of his favorite features. 'She's never been more beautiful than right now' he concludes to himself. And it was true. He couldn't even begin to imagine a sight more extraordinary than the one in front of him. Just as he wished he could stare at it forever, for this exact moment to never end, he noticed time around him speeding up to normal. He cursed under his breath as the moment was gone, and Rose turned her attention elsewhere, slowing her steps as they reached their destination.

The Doctor and Rose sat at an outside table, eating and watching the locals dance along to the music. They share each other's food, daring the other to try their foreign cuisines. They are in the midst of an elaborate conversation about the laws of physics when he sees her look up from the table, as he notices Donna and Martha grabbing chairs to sit down with them, food already in their hands, causing him to pull his gaze away from Rose.

"Remind me to take a nap between adventures!" Donna sighs, plopping herself down in her seat, Martha sitting across the round table from her.

He sees Rose give them a knowing grin. "Thought I'd never see you again" he says as nonchalantly as possible, grabbing his fork again and poking at his food.

"You can't be so lucky just yet" Martha jokes as they both dig into their food, everyone exchanging their stories from the day. Donna shows off the clothes she got from the different vendors, and Martha, her books.

"Just this" Rose says, flashing them her ring

"What about you Doctor?" Martha asks

"Oh, just some bits and parts for the TARDIS" he says simply, resting his chin in the palm of his hand

"What a crazy animal you are!" Donna hisses to him. By the time he goes to retort, he stops as he hears the band start playing their next song, this one a lot louder than the other ones. He looks around to see everyone around them clapping their hands to the beat, encouraging others to start dancing.

"Must be a folk song of some sort" he concludes to the others. They continue their eating as some locals head over to their table, encouraging them to dance. Donna and Martha politely decline as Rose gets swept up by a local, while the Doctor gets his fork taken away from him mid-bite, also getting pulled along.

"No. No I- No thank you!" he tries to say as he is walked over to the rest of the crowd. They clap along to the music, waiting for them to join. The Doctor looks over to Rose and gives her a shrug of his shoulders, offering his hand to hers. She giggles to him and takes his hand as they start dancing around the square along with the other numerous couples. The thunderous claps from the crowd continue as Donna and Martha watch them from the table, still eating their food. The Doctor and Rose follow the rest of the dancers as they move around the dance floor, both of their eyes straying down to their feet by habit, concentrating on their steps as they moved. All of the couples move together, making the shape of a spinning circle, as the Doctor gives Rose as couple of her own individual spins, giggling and looking up to each other every once in a while when they miss-step.

When the song is over, Rose and the Doctor look around them at the applauding crowd, then look to each other, both out of breath, and smile. She takes his arm and leads him back to the table where Donna and Martha were waiting. "You've gotten better" she says as they reach the table, sitting back down in her seat.

"Better?" the Doctor asks, trying his best to sound offended, sitting back down in his chair

"Last time we danced you had a leather jacket and two left feet" she shoots to him, tongue poking out between her teeth

After deciding to call it a day, the four finish up the rest of their food and set to leave. They all make sure to voice their thanks to the locals for their warm welcome and hospitality. The Doctor sets off with Rose Tyler in hand and Donna and Martha behind them as they start walking towards the illuminating sunset, making their way back to the TARDIS.


	11. Chapter 11

"Don't you trust me?" the Doctor asked harshly, snapping his head to the side and throwing his free hand in the air in obvious frustration

"I trusted you three hours ago when you said we were almost there!" Donna answers with a yell, throwing her own hands in the air, not at all fazed by the Doctor's behavior "We've been in this forest for ages!"

"Yes, and this is where patience comes in. You should try it for once" the Doctor spat quickly as he keeps his concentration on the sonic screwdriver is his left hand, listening to the whirring sound the device was giving off. He holds his arm out and turns in place, changing directions a couple of times as he decides where the signal is strongest.

"Ah, yes!" he says to himself once the tool increases its noise "Never doubt the screwdriver" he says matter of factly, as he starts his walking again, letting the screwdriver lead the way.

"Sure right. I got plenty of other things to doubt at the moment" Donna mutters, making herself loud enough for the Doctor to hear. She rolls her eyes and resumes her walking, following his lead as usual.

Rose and Martha stood off to the side together with their arms crossed as they watched the exchange. "Geez" Rose said, her eyebrows raised as she watched the other duo resume their walking "They always like that?" she asks, turning her head to look at Martha

"Pretty much yea" Martha replies as they both start walking again "Dunno how she does it"

"S'not that I don't talk to the Doctor like that" Rose adds "But it only happens when he gets me properly mad. Which I guess isn't all that rare"

Both of the girls laugh as they continue through the forest, making sure to stay with the other two leading them.

"S'nice though" Rose says, looking down at her feet as she walked

Martha looks up to the two ahead of them and smiles "Yeah" she chuckles "their personalities are so alike, it might be good for them to have a go at the other"

After sometime of walking in silence, they hear the Doctor say something to Donna, inaudible for them to make out at their distance. They look up to see the Doctor standing on the top of a hill, as he returns his screwdriver to his suit pocket with a smug look on his face. Donna walks up to where he is, keeping her attention to whatever was on the other side. "Here we are!" he shouts to the women as they close the rest of the distance "Told you we were close!"

When they finally catch up, Rose follows Donna's gaze to the view that awaited her. Laid out before her was a valley stretching miles and miles from any direction. She notes the grass swaying in the wind when she discovers it wasn't the same color of regular grass, as it gave off a reflection from an impossible sky that took Rose's breath away. It was then that she discovered the colors of the grass mirrored the colors of the sky exactly, while she counted some reds, yellows, oranges, blues, and even some black imitating the sunrise above them.

She could hear the Doctor talking, perhaps to her, but she couldn't draw her attention away from what was before her. She found it so enchanting, that it left her in awe

"—Rose?" the Doctor tried again, this time at her side

"Hmm" she managed

The Doctor observed the look on her face and slowly shifted his gaze to the valley below them. "I know" he agrees incredulously.

"I was sent a distress signal" The Doctor says to everyone a moment later, switching back to business mode and pulling out his psychic paper, flashing it for the others to see

"Do you know what for?" Rose hears Martha ask

"Dunno" the Doctor answers, returning it to his coat "But whoever it was" he adds "was very persistent" he finishes, extending his arm, pointing to something in the distance. Rose looks the direction he is pointing and after a moment is able to make out a cloud of smoke coming from a single area in the valley.

The Doctor gives the three women a final nod of assurance and then leads the group down the other side of the hill into the gorge. It wasn't until they made it to the base of the valley that Rose was able to actually observe the area for herself. She was shocked to see the reflecting grass she was so mesmerized by actually stretched higher than an average person, easily climbing higher than her and even the Doctor!

"Is someone in danger?" Rose asks quietly as they make their way through the grass.

"We have no way of knowing just yet" the Doctor answers her patiently "We'll know in a mome—"

"No but I mean" she interjects quickly, keeping her eyes down to the ground in front of her "That was smoke" she says "Is something on fire?"

The Doctor continues to walk, hands in his pockets and eyes straight ahead "I don't think so" he replies softly after a moment

After a good while of following their sight of smoke, the Doctor brushes aside some of the towering grass in his path in front of him, as he discovers a clearing on the other side. He locates a decent sized fire ring, producing the smoke they saw above them, as he spots five or six kids circling around it keeping close for extra warmth.

"HEY YOU!" the four hear a voice say, whipping their heads to the left and getting sight of a women with battered clothing and messy hair trained back into a thick ponytail, shaking her fist at them in agitation as she made her way over to them in haste. "YOU DO NOT TOUCH THOSE CHILDREN"

"uhh..." the Doctor spits out, trying to find something to reassure the woman, looking to his three companions behind him for inspiration

"What exactly is your game here!?" the woman says, closing their distance and turning down the volume but keeping the fierceness in her voice. She couldn't have been more than thirty, Rose thought to herself, the woman had enough fire and movement in her to convince Rose of that for sure. But the heaviness in the woman's voice and the indention of lines on her face they could see made her appear older, causing everyone to second guess themselves

"It's alright! We have no game here" Martha says, stepping in for the Doctor, holding her hands up in front of her for the woman to see she wasn't armed, the other three following her lead. "We'll stay right here if it makes you more comfortable, whatever you'd like" she assures calmly

"I'd like you to leave!" the woman says simply

"Adilene!" they hear a man yell this time as he rounds the corner "Adilene, what is the matter?" he asks worryingly as he comes up behind the woman, pulling her back from the four "Who are you? What are your intentions here?" he demands, stepping in front of her, standing in between the four of them and everyone else.

Before anyone could say anything else the Doctor spots more people revealing themselves from the thick grass and joining the other two in the clearing hurriedly, looks of panic evident on all of their faces. The rest of the adults, the Doctor concludes to himself.

Before they knew it they were being confronted by at least twelve people the Doctor identified as the adults, while all four of their hands were still in the air. "Now don't worry" the Doctor begins, slowly lowering his hands "I've just got to reach into my pocket, I don't have any weapons" he says, reaching into trench coat pocket carefully, the adults watching his every move.

"We got a distress signal" the Doctor informs them "someone asking for help" he says pulling out his physic paper and lowering his arms back down to his side slowly. The 'adults' give him a blank look, looking around to each other in confusion. The Doctor flips open the physic paper, showing them the same message he had received earlier.

"Wait" the woman referred to as Adilene says, her intense glare replaced with confusion "You're our rescue?" she asks dumbfounded

"'Fraid so" Donna pipes in, talking for the first time. She takes the opportunity to lower her hands from in front of her and put them on her hips, as she shift her weight to lean mostly on one leg "Trust me, we're a lot more experience than we look" she says confidently

The man separating everyone gives the four a long, hard look, and then turns to nod his approval to the others, the tension in the air immediately ceasing. Rose and Martha take the opportunity to finally lower their hands.

"We were abandoned" the man informs them, turning back "They told us our shuttle needed an emergency landing, then an hour later they were nowhere to be seen, along with our ride" he says sorely, shaking his head at the ground

"Ah!" the Doctor concludes, putting the physic paper back into his coat and then putting his hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels casually "So you just need a lift home then?"

The adults did not answer but lowered their heads to observe the ground, leaving a silence that bothered the Doctor

"Hold on a tic" he says slowly, eyeing everyone in front of him "Why were you so convinced that we were after the children?" he asks, focusing his question directly to Adilene

"There's something out there" she answers hesitantly "someone out there. That's after us, after the children" she finishes, looking back to the ground

"One night, we heard a scream, found out it had taken Matteo" the man steps in for her, gesturing over to the fire ring. It was then the Doctor registered one of the children had bruises lining the side of his face and a makeshift sling made out of cloth wrapped around his shoulder to support his right arm "We found him three days later about a mile that way, alive, but unconscious and badly hurt." He finishes

"Yes, we would like a lift home" Adilene sniffs "But we sent out that signal 'cause we _need_ to be rescued from whatever is out there"


	12. Chapter 12

Rose and Donna sat with the children at the fire ring, doing their best to keep them company. Martha was next to them, giving Matteo a full checkup as best as she could without any equipment. The Doctor had asked the three of them to spend some time with the children and to check on Matteo while he questioned the adults. Rose didn't agree to it at first, there were over twenty people that they could possibly question, and only four of them. She had offered to make it easier for him, but he stuck his ground with confidence. All there was left for her to do was to nod her head and go with the flow.

"Okay, and how long ago was it that you got hurt?" Martha asks Matteo, trying hard to be delicate around his makeshift sling.

"Round three days ago" They hear a voice say. They turn the attention to another child sitting with them at the ring, on Matteo's left "s'when he got taken anyway"

The three women eye each other questioningly, not sure as to why the child was supplying the answers

"He's hardly said two words since we found him" the child answered for them, positioning themselves closer to Matteo's side, rubbing his back with their hand for comfort

Martha looked down to Matteo for confirmation. The small boy had refused to meet her eye, it was obvious that he was dealing some aftermath trust issues

"And how long were you out there hurt and by yourself before they found you?" Martha questioned him lightly, hoping to gain his trust. But the child had only continued to stare at the ground.

"The adults are thinking that it was only the next morning" the other child answered

Rose's heart went out to the child. There was no doubt that he was still scared out of his mind from whatever happened to him. She couldn't imagine being left on her own all night after she had been injured at his age, she guessed he couldn't be any older than eight.

"Well then you know what we're going to do?" Donna asked, having the same thoughts as Rose, directing her question to Matteo while also getting the rest of the children's attention "We're gonna help you find this person, this thing. And then we're gonna have the Doctor beat him up for us!" she finishes, making one hand into a fist and beating it into the palm of the other, making the children laugh

Rose and Martha smiled to Donna, thankful that she was able to lighten the mood

Donna glances upwards, and they both follow her gaze to see the Doctor returning with the adults. They let out a sigh of relief as Donna and Rose stood up to join him. The Doctor glances their way, greeting them with a lazy wave. "Anything useful?" Rose asked once they reached him

"Yes actually" the Doctor said lightly "They mapped out the area for me, including where they found Matteo"

"So what's the plan then?" Donna asks as Martha approaches them, having just finished with the boy

"We're going to track it down" the Doctor answers, looking to all three of them "I'm going to take the adults with me, well the men and however many women want to volunteer. That way we have numbers."

"Great. That way we could split up!" Rose said excitedly "We can use our cell phones to communicate, cover more ground"

"No" the Doctor said suddenly, causing Martha and Donna to do a double take

"So, you'd rather we stick as a unit?" Rose asks carefully "I guess I could just stay at the back of the group for coverage.."

"I meant no, you're not going" the Doctor says to Rose, his face completely blank

Rose blinked at him "But I volunteer" she says slowly

"They could use your help here at the site" the Doctor says simply, beginning to turn away

"Hey!" Rose says abruptly, reaching to tug the Doctor's arm, turning him back to face her "We all know I'd be better use out there"

"No" the Doctor repeats clearly, holding Rose's gaze. Donna and Martha looked to each other, immediately sensing the tension growing between the couple. "Wha-? Wh-?" Rose tries, baffled at the Doctor's refusal "But you're letting them go?" she challenges him, gesturing to the other two

"Donna already said she's staying here to help with the children, and Martha is a certified medical Doctor, we could use her" the Doctor responds matter of factly, not backing down

"You could use me" Rose says evenly, not wavering her argument as well "It's not like I'm asking for your permission"

"Rose" the Doctor begins with a sigh

"You used to let me" Rose interjects, the conversation starting to wind her up

"It's not safe" the Doctor tries

"You used to let me go everywhere with you, thought anywhere was safe enough as long as we were holding hands" she says, trying her best to keep her voice calm

"That was before—"

"Before what?" Rose interrupts sharply "Before the alternate universe got in the way?" she says dryly, her face becoming icy "Cause last time I checked, that was me who was trapped" she says harshly "You told me to go back with mum and I refused. Turns out no matter what I chose to do, I would've still ended up saying goodbye to you on that beach"

The Doctor face hardens at her words, his body stiffening, as Rose holds his gaze, her face still blank and cold. Martha and Donna are left with their mouths hanging open, looking back and forth wide eyed between the two, as a long uncomfortable silence fell

"As I said" the Doctor says finally, keeping his words short, his voice even, and his face blank "I would like you to stay and assist Donna please" he finishes curtly, turning quickly and walking away from the argument, leaving Rose to fume on her own.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The Doctor, Martha, and the volunteers had all made sure to set out before the days end, looking to avoid spending too much time out there in the dark. They say their goodbyes to one another, the Doctor taking one last look over to Rose and Donna at the fire ring. Rose returns his look with her face still hard and her eyes still sharp like daggers. The Doctor nods to her, and turns to everyone else with a large sigh, rubbing his face with his hand. "Let's go then" he says tiredly, leading them out of sight

Donna and Rose immediately get to work helping the mothers out with the kids, doing their best to keep them entertained. Rose teaches the girls how to braid each other's hair and how to play hopscotch, finding a rock that gave off enough of a chalky residue to draw the court. Donna took the boys and taught them how to play freeze tag, she was really good at freeze tag. Afterwards they came together to tell stories at the fire while the mothers did their best to scavenge up some dinner for everyone.

The mothers had called the kids for dinner, leaving Donna and Rose to themselves, sitting around the fire. They both sat in a comfortable silence, staring at the fire for entertainment.

"I'm sorry" Rose said eventually, Donna looking up to her in confusion "I could tell I was making you guys uncomfortable, but I couldn't stop myself."

"Yeah….geez" Donna jokes, getting a chuckle out of Rose

"It's just.." Rose begins, frustrated "I get that this whole ordeal obviously dramatically affected him as well, but he's making it as if me getting trapped in a different universe made him the victim"

"Im sorry" Donna offers, putting her hand on Rose's arm for comfort "I have no way of knowing what you two are going through, especially you. But we both know how the Doctor is, maybe he just learned he needed to handle it a different way than you. If anything, at least you won't have to deal with him alone anymore" she tries hopefully. Rose smiles softly to her, putting her own hand on Donna's

"They've been gone for hours" Rose concludes, looking around them

"Hmm" Donna agrees "Maybe they got lost, ended up going in circles."

Rose nodded her head, staring intently into the fire. After a few minutes she slapped her leg and stands up "I'm going after them" she decides

"What?!" Donna gapes at her "After all of that?"

"Donna, what if they're in trouble?" Rose questions

"What if they're not?" she sends back

"Well if they're not in trouble then they're not in trouble" Rose answers, as if it was obvious "I'd rather the Doctor be safe and be pissed at me, than us never see them again because I just sat around the fire hoping they were okay"

Donna sighs

"Look" Rose says to her, bending at the knees to meet her at eye level "I'm not asking you to come with me, cause I know you'd be more comfortable here. But I'm not, Donna. I'd be more comfortable out there"

"No stopping you?" Donna asks

"Course not" Rose answers with a smile

"Stay safe Rose" Donna tells her "please"

"Yes ma'am" Rose replies with a laugh, hugging her friend. "If they come back before sunset and I'm not with them, then tell the Doctor I was worried and went looking close by. I'll tell him the parts he won't like once I get back" she finishes, standing up and walking away.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Rose made her way the direction she saw them leave, immediately turning her Torchwood training into gear. She kept her mind sharp and was aware of everything around her.

To her advantage, she was able to follow the obvious trail of twenty or so footprints in the dirt. She tracked it for a little while until she was able to pinpoint where they must have started going in circles. She chose her own direction and then walked until she found some of the human height grass in front her gently parted to the sides, deciding to follow the new man made path in front of her. She walked in what she felt like were circles for a while until the grass ceased immediately 'This must be the edge of the valley' she concludes to herself 'a different side of the forest we originally traveled through'

It was then that she saw him. He was crouched down behind a thick tree, his back to her, as he was using his hands to signal the others along. She follows his gaze and notices the mouth of a rock cave located just inside the edge of the forest, and she was able to make out a hoarse howl coming from inside.

She crouches herself down like the others, carefully and quietly getting herself closer to them. She halts herself a short distance from everyone else, positioning herself off to the side so she could watch everything that was happening.

The howling cry increased in volume as everyone observed the mouth of the cave expectantly, as a creature that could only resemble the common man's caveman emerged. Only this one was a humanoid version. It resembled a human being, as it walked on two legs and used the other two as arms, but it was triple in size and reminded the Doctor of a gigantic armadillo. It carried a big stick in its right hand that reminded him of a cactus, with spikes poking out every which way, probably as its weapon of choice. Why there were gigantic armadillos wielding a cactus stick taking refuge in a rock cave located on the edge of a forest and a valley, he had absolutely no clue, but still, he's seen stranger things

The creature starting screeching into the air, obviously aware it had visitors, as more of them began emerging from the cave one by one. Rose's eyes lingered on the bizarre creature, as she leaned her body forward for a better look, making a stick split under her weight. When she heard the snap, she quickly drew in her breath, hoping to keep everything around her completely still. She looks back over to the Doctor and sees his body immediately tense up. Rose knew. The Doctor knew she was there.

The creature lost its patience as it let out another screech, challenging its visitors and signaling its own to attack.

"Stay down!" Rose heard the Doctor yell to Martha, commanding her to remain in the shadows until her services were needed

Rose watched as they fought the creatures off with nothing but giant sticks they had picked up along the way, the Doctor of course dodging around all of them, doing his best to scan them with his sonic screwdriver. One of the creatures aims his stick to strike the Doctor, and instead hits the stick to the ground, one of the spikes catching in it and coming off, leaving behind a purple clouded gas.

The Doctor looks at it wide eyed "Don't let them hit you with the stick!" the Doctor calls hastily to the others, before he resumes his scanning

Once things started looking up in their favor and their competition had dramatically decreased in size, Rose notices another armadillo warrior emerge from the cave, this one way bigger in size, reminding Rose of a queen bee. And she's obviously not happy with them as she lets out her deafening wail, rattling the trees and shaking the ground below them

The Doctor goes to help one of the fallen volunteers from the ground. Once he hears the thunderous roar from the queen bee, his eyes widen in dismay as his whips his head to Rose's hiding spot frantically. The queen grabs the absorbed Doctor, picking him and capturing him in its claw- like hand. Rose decided to take that as her cue as she leapt up from her place quickly, despite having not yet decided her plan, and bounded her way to the queen.

"ROSE NO!" the Doctor cried

Before Rose could get too far, the queen swung her cactus stick swiftly, knocking her off of her feet effectively, throwing her several yards away from her spot. One of the thick spikes had broken off the club, stabbing itself securely into Rose. The Doctor looks to her in horror as she landed hard on the ground, immediately wrenching out in pain and holding her side as tightly as she could.

The queen turns its attention back to the Doctor and cornering the volunteers further. Rose watches them from afar as her eyesight starts to blur. She looks down to see the spike injected into her side was giving off the purple gas the Doctor had warned the others about. By this point Rose knew the others had no chance of surviving if she resulted herself to cowering in pain, so she swallowed down her cries and bit back as much pain as she could as she made her way to one of the already fallen armadillos and took the cactus stick out of its hands. She blinks back the waterfall of tears pooling in her eyes, as she takes the deepest breath she can. Rose steadies herself for a moment and then gets a running start at the queen, coming up from behind and using all of her strength to lunge forward, causing her to cry out from the exertion.

The Doctor hears her cry and spots Rose as she jumps up the back, relying on her free arm to grasp on and give her leverage. Once she is hanging on, Rose quickly takes the opportunity to take down the queen, driving the cactus weapon as forcefully as she could into the side of the queen's neck. The creature cries out in obvious pain from the injection, immediately dropping the Doctor to fall to the ground and whipping itself back and forth. Rose loses her grip on the creature and is once again thrown yards away, landing on the ground like a raggedy doll, to immediately sit herself up and heave into the grass around her.

The queen continues its cries as it attempts to retreat back into the cave, to only collapse short from the entrance. As soon as they Doctor had hit the ground, he was immediately back on his feet and on his way to Rose.

"MARTHA!" the Doctor called sharply, signaling for the medical Doctor to join him as he ran.

Rose could hear the Doctor's cries as she finished heaving into the grass. She lifted her head up and turned herself to see him and Martha running full speed to her. Before they could reach her she felt herself numb as her body fell the rest of the way, head hitting the solid ground.

"ROSE!" the Doctor cried as he close the distance between them. He immediately ran his hands over her for inspection, taking in the spike that penetrated her side. Once Martha got to them, she quickly checked her for a pulse and repeatedly tapped Rose's face in hopes to get a response.

Rose could see the Doctor and Martha above her, desperate for her attention. But the haze in her view was starting to cloud the rest of her eyesight. The world was getting less and less detailed, and every noise she heard was slurring itself together. She struggled a few breathy words and then succumbed herself to unconsciousness.

Once Rose stopped moving the Doctor frantically moved his hands back and forth from her wrist to her neck, desperate for a pulse. Martha could tell as Rose's skins started to pale, only from the immediate reaction from the Doctor as he only cried out her name even louder.

"We have to get her back!" The Doctor yells to the others "Now"

Martha immediately gets to her feet, as some of the volunteers gather themselves towards Rose to help.

"No" The Doctor spits "Nobody touch her" he commands, voice quivering

Martha watched the Doctor nervously. She never seen him like this before. With her he was always guarded and seemed to plan out every word he said. Now she saw him, and he was scared. His eyes were big and painted with fear for his Rose. He didn't know what to do, but he was desperate for results. He gave off his angry commands but with a shaky, frenzied voice. Sure this was a critical moment, but the thing that was making Martha scared the most was the Doctor.

"Doctor" Martha forces, making him to listen to her "We need to get her back. Now"

The Doctor shoots up, bending back down to quickly pick Rose up in his arms. He spends half a second adjusting to make her as comfortable as possible, and then shoots off back to the camp. Martha commands the others to follow them back.

"Doctor!" Martha breathed heavily "You'll wear yourself out!" she called to him in front of her

"I have to get her back now. She won't make it if I walk" he tells her, and she knew it wasn't up for debate. The Doctor speeds up from his jog and breaks out into a full run.

-.-.-.-.-.-.

Donna turns away from the fire ring as she hears people crying out for help. She looks and sees the group returning, but the volunteers had come back into the clearing and were fanning people clear from their way hastily and she knew something was wrong. It was then that she saw Martha emerge from the grass, face completely flushed from running. Martha looked up to Donna quickly, and she could see the immediate urgency in the woman's eyes. Donna got up from the fire ring, quick to make her way over to Martha, as she saw the Doctor finally emerge from the grass, a white Rose Tyler is his arms.

"What the-!?" Donna cried, eyes widening in fright

"We need to get her to the TARDIS. Now" Martha told her simply and quickly.

"But—the TARDIS is hours away, remember?" Donna said

"Rassilion!" The Doctor spat as he sat Rose down, hastily fumbling through his pockets.

"Is she alright?" Martha heard Adilene ask behind them

"We don't know" she answered "not yet"

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver from his coat pocket. He quickly flicked it to a setting and then bent down to Rose, grabbing the chain containing the TARDIS key around her neck, pressing the screwdriver to it and making it buzz "I need to take her to the med bay" the Doctor said quickly "I won't even know if she has a chance until I get her to the med bay" It was then that Donna was catching on to the desperation in his voice.

After a few seconds they began to hear the familiar whirring sound of the TARDIS as it appeared in front of them. The Doctor quickly picked Rose back up, and hurriedly ran in as Martha opened the door for him.

"Have them gather their stuff" Donna and Martha heard him command as he was already on the other side of the console. "Get them into the TARDIS immediately" "I'll take them home as soon as I know Rose will be okay" he sent out quickly before leaving them, making his way to the med bay with Rose in his arms.


	13. Chapter 13

Rose awoke to find herself staring at the low ceiling above her. After a moment she realized that she was in the med bay, knowing from when she had traveled with the Doctor before. Rose then tries to sit up, but immediately winces as she feels restraints holding her down at her ankles, thighs, waist, and her wrists and chest. She sighs to herself and turns her head to the side, hoping to see the restraints down the side of her body instead.

She trains her gaze down her body to discover the Doctor at her side. He had moved a chair across the room and pulled it up to sit beside her, and was currently fast asleep, using his right arm as a pillow onto the table next to Rose as he positioned his left hand to gently grasp ahold of hers. His hair was as wild as ever before and his glasses were crooked on his face as it leaned against his arm. Rose lays her head back down onto the table, looking back to the ceiling, smiling to herself from the sight of her Doctor.

'Good god, he couldn't be any more beautiful than right now' Rose thought to herself, biting her lip in attempt to suppress her smile.

Rose does her best to adjust on the table, but instead hurts herself from the tight restraints around her ankle pressing into her skin, as her entire body flinches hard and she cries out in pain. The Doctor shoots up out his chair from the sound of her cry, knocking his chair over and then immediately retrieving it from the ground, then looking over to Rose in panic.

"Sorry" Rose says quickly "I mean- I didn't mean-"

The Doctor looks to her, after a moment calming down, and gives a sigh of relief from realization that his Rose has woken up.

"Right, uh, sorry.." the Doctor said quickly, realizing the restraints on her. "Precautions" he said as he began to work them off, releasing the holds on her upper body.

Rose sat up on the table as the Doctor worked. She rubbed her wrists to soothe them as she watched him, their faces only about a foot apart as he was leaning in to work on the restraints on her thighs. "I'm sorry" she said softly. The Doctor pauses for a second and then nods as he continues. "No" Rose insists, moving her hand to cup one side of his face, urging him to look into her eyes. "I really am".

The Doctor moves his hand over hers on his face, meeting her gaze and giving her an assuring smile "I know, Rose" he says, moving on to the restraints on her ankles.

"I shouldn't have said what I did" Rose says, once again rubbing her wrists

The Doctor continued to work on her ankles. "It's not like you were wrong" he finally said after a long moment

"It doesn't matter how right or wrong I was" Rose replies "It was too far. I knew it was as soon as it came out of my mouth. I was just so frustrated." She finishes softly, looking down in her lap.

"I'm sorry" the Doctor says slowly, keeping his eyes trained down on his work "I only had the best intentions. I hope you know that" he finishes just as softly, making his final click into place and releasing the last restraint.

"I know, Doctor" Rose replies, swinging her legs off of the table so she could face him. She and the Doctor looked at each other for a second, both not really sure where this left them. Rose hated it, she knew he believed her apology, but she would never want the Doctor to be upset, especially from something she had said.

The Doctor gives her a small but friendly smile, reassuring their reconciliation. Rose holds out her hand to him, and the Doctor takes it as she pulls him to her. Once he was only a few inches away, she pulls him close by his shoulders, snaking her arms to wrap behind his neck in an embrace.

The Doctor smiled into her hair. He was always happy to hold Rose, especially like this. He wraps his arms around her waist, stepping in between her legs in attempt to pull his Rose as close to him as he possibly could.

"Well, hello there" Rose looks to see Donna standing in the doorway, leaning to one side against the frame, arms crossed and eyebrow raised in suggestion. Rose giggles as the Doctor closes his eyes, savoring his last few seconds intertwined with her. As if Rose read his mind, she presses one hand to the back of his head, urging him as close as he could possibly could, closing her eyes as well. After a few seconds she reluctantly pulls back, placing a solid but tender kiss to his cheek and turning her attention to Donna.

"Made up I see?" Donna says, keeping her voice playfully light

"Donna" the Doctor warns, turning himself to her

"Wait, how long was I out?" Rose asked, only just now realizing the wrinkled state of his suit and Donna's change of clothes.

"Round about three days, I would say" Donna guessed "Our guests have been waiting to see you"

"Guests?" Rose gaped "The survivors? You've let them stay on the TARDIS for three days?!" she asks the Doctor incredulously

"It's not like they've been bored!" Donna answers for him "The TARDIS has been keeping them entertained"

"I've been… pre-occupied" the Doctor tries carefully, running his hand through his hair, glancing to Rose

"Right, well, I'm ravenous!" Rose changed the subject, doing her best to not notice. She hopped up from the bed and her legs gave out beneath her, she squeak in surprise as she began to fall to the ground

"Careful!" the Doctor orders, making it just in time to catch her before she fell "You haven't walked in days, take it slow" he said, taking her left arm and looping it around his neck, and wrapping is right arm around her waist to provide support.

"Yes sir" Rose giggled as Donna arched her eyebrow at them once more. For Rose and the Doctor, this was completely normal. For Donna however, this was an entertaining sight to see

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

After the Doctor and Donna took Rose to eat some breakfast with Martha, they finally said goodbye to their guests and dropped them off back home. The Doctor ordered Rose to be quarantined inside the TARDIS until she was fully recovered, and in hoping to persuade her to follow his instructions, announced that all adventures were being put on hold until it was achieved.

"It's been five days" Rose grumbled, sitting on her bed leaning onto the headboard with her head tilted up and her eyes closed.

"Yeah, well" Martha answered next to her. She was lying on her stomach, head facing the foot of the bed, and reading a book the TARDIS library had supplied for her. "It's not like us doing anything about it would do us any good. The more we do absolutely nothing, the better you get, and the sooner that we can do something." She finished, turning another page over

"But why am I not allowed to do anything? I'm not even allowed to leave the TARDIS to eat, plus most of the time the Doctor brings my food to me "she whines, obviously suffering from cabin fever

"Doctor's orders" Donna reminded her, sitting at the end of the bed on Rose's side, filing her nails effortlessly

"Yeah, and I think the Doctor agrees with me as well" Martha jokes to herself, making the other two chuckle

The three women hear the door creak and snap their heads up to see the Doctor entering with a tray of food, bringing Rose her dinner.

"Hi Doctor" Rose sighed, trying to not sound disappointed in his presence "I'm afraid I'm not hungry just yet, actually I don't know the last time I was hungry."

"Yes, well" the Doctor answers, walking over to her side of the bed and setting the tray on the table next to her. "You don't get as hungry if you do nothing all day. Plus I've been making sure that you're eating often enough for you to take your medicine. So even if you were, you're probably not" he finished smugly

"Oh great" she replied sarcastically

"Now, now" he said, reaching into his pocket "You're nearly there. A full recovery is better than a half-hearted recovery" he lectured, pulling out some pills and giving them to Rose for her to take. "Very good then" he commented once she downed her medicine "Tell the TARDIS if any of you need anything, and she will notify me immediately. I'll be in the console room working on upgrades." He finished, reaching down to kiss Rose on the top of her head absently and then made his way out of the room.

Donna and Martha watched Rose as she began to eat her food. They were never not astounded when they witnessed the Doctor do something like that. Rose felt their stares and looked up to them, questioning them with her eyebrows.

"Nutter, that one is" Donna said

"He's the Doctor" Roses tried, focusing on her food "It's just the kind of thing he does"

"No" Martha corrected "It's the kind of thing he does for you"

"If you guys were recovering from something, he'd help take care of you" Rose insisted

"Let's agree for a moment that he would" Donna started "He most certainly would not be kissing me on the head every time he left the room. I'd probably smack him upside his head if he even tried that" she added

"He definitely is a lot more smitten when you guys are closer than you have to be" Martha offered

"Right, you should've seen what I walked in on in the med bay the other day" Donna laughed, hitting her hand to her knee

"Yeah, about that" Rose says, looking up from her food to Donna "Exactly how much of that did you see?"

"I walked in right as he was squeezing himself between your legs" Donna answered teasingly

"What?" Martha gaped dumbfounded, closing her book and turning her attention to the gossip "What happened, and why don't I know about this?"

"We were just hugging" Rose said firmly, pointing her spoon to the two of them "Nothing else and nothing more"

"Sounds like quite a hug" Martha said

"I don't know" Donna drawled out "If I was watching anyone else, seems like it'd be easy enough to turn it into something more"

Rose blinked at her, smile forming onto her face "I cannot believe you guys want to have this conversation" she says incredulously

"Oh come on! We'll need to at some point" Donna urged.

Rose sighed at their curiosity, but laughed at their persistence on the matter.

"Perhaps we should another time, though?" Martha suggests, picking up on Rose's hesitation "Let's let her rest for now" she decided, picking up the food tray as Rose gave her a wide eyed look of thanks

"Fine" Donna sighed "But you know we're going to get to this sooner or later" she said standing up with Martha

"For now, I'll choose later" Rose chuckled. The two ladies said their goodbyes and left Rose on her own for the night.

Rose sighed to herself and then laid down in bed, covering herself up in hopes to fall asleep. She did not let herself think about the subject too often. Nothing had changed since that day on the beach, she still loved the Doctor with everything she was and everything she had, now possibly more than before. She knew that he knew, she had told him for pete's sake! Of course she had decided to tell him, not out of hope that he would reciprocate her feelings and that they would fall in love, but in genuine fear and belief that it was the last thing she would ever get to say to him.

Oh yes, he was aware of her feelings then, but she wandered if he remembered anything about it to know about them now. For all she knew, he got on with his life quickly afterwards and dropped the thought entirely. She doubts anything that she said to him on that beach could make any difference anymore, especially now. It's not like she's naïve enough to expect things to pick up where they left off, especially after all this time.

She didn't expect the Doctor to return her feelings then, the thought wasn't even on her mind, and it most certainly isn't now either. Rose doesn't need the Doctor to love her back, it's not something that she hopes for or really something that she desires from him. What Rose Tyler needed was to make sure that the Doctor was undoubtedly aware about just how much she cared for him, and how painfully she needs him in her life.

'Now if there were only a way to tell him that' she thinks

Rose sighs, scolding herself for thinking about the subject. It certainly wasn't doing anyone any good, especially her. She rolls her eyes, throwing the blankets over her head and surrendering to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

"Geez!" Donna squealed as a shot sailed right by her head, leaving a carved hole in the wall next to her. Donna looked at the wall wide-eyed, as Rose came flying around the corner, running almost directly into her.

"Can't be slowing down right now!" Rose advised, giving Donna a nod of encouragement and a pat on the arm before she ran on. Donna took a few aching breaths and then resumed her running, as the blonde led them around another corner. The hallway they were running down was darkly light, as they were sure they were underground. Alien creatures were chasing and taking shots at them as they tried to capture the intruders, just barely dodging each blow.

The Doctor and Martha were above ground. Their job was to confront the leader of the hierarchy and his family, ultimately distracting their attention from the other two as they shut down all productions downstairs, setting the building for self-destruct and forcing everyone out. Donna and Rose had already completed their task, as they were being sought out for their interference and the hallways around them were shaking violently as they ran. The four were to meet back at the TARDIS for a quick take off before anything has the chance to go awry.

-.-.-.-.-.

"As I said before" the Doctor insisted, Martha standing next to him as they were being presented to the hierarchy in the throne room, soldiers holding their guns towards them "We are only here for a peaceful chat"

"Peaceful chats don't involve breaking and entering" the leader in command hissed from his throne

"I told you" the Doctor said "First time here, didn't know the way" he answered, almost insulted that they didn't believe him.

-.-.-.-

"We need to get back to the TARDIS!" Donna yelled as they ran "They'll feel the shaking any minute now"

As they rounded another corner, Rose grabbed Donna's arm and yanked her into a stairwell, using the Doctor's sonic screwdriver on the door to buy them a few seconds to catch their breaths. Donna sighed with relief as she leaned against the wall behind her. Rose worked quickly as she flicked through the settings on the screwdriver. "We need the screwdriver to lead us back to the TARDIS. I don't know how far down we are. We can't make them wait on us" Rose said quickly. Donna nodded her head as Rose clicked the screwdriver a last time, pressing the button to activate it. As soon as they heard the buzz Rose was off, as Donna trailed close behind up the stairs.

-.-.-.-.-

"Must we do with the guns?" the Doctor winced "Obviously, we are no threat. The two of us are here alone, plus you have checked us for weapons."

"Precautions will not be taken lightly with intruders" the leader answers.

"Yes well. We've accomplished so much doing it your way, huh?" the Doctor says. Martha rolls her eyes at him. 'Great. Sassy Doctor' she thinks to herself "Shall we chat then?" the Doctor presses

-.-.-.-.

The two girls raced up the stairs, with their hunters only a few flights behind. They ran as fast as their legs would let them, as shots rang out at them with every step. A shot grazed past the front of Rose, only just catching to rip her jacket. The close call caught Rose off guard as she momentarily fell to her knees on the stairs and stumbled to get back up.

"It's okay. You're alright" Donna quickly reassured her as she helped her friend back to her feet and encouraged her to keep going, pushing Rose in front of her forward. Finally the sonic screwdriver grew louder, cueing Rose to take this floor. Once they were both in she used the sonic on the door to once again buy them a few seconds.

"Okay" Rose began, continuing on but only at a fast walk as Donna followed. "We are at ground level, we just need to navigate through the halls." She says, holding out the screwdriver in front of her, desperately scanning the areas around them. They both stopped in their tracks "Feel that?" Rose asked as they both looked around. Gradually they could feel the ground from a couple of floors below start to violently shake, as their floor had started subtly shaking itself. "We have to find them. Now" Rose says, snapping her head to Donna. "We need to get going"

"I agree" Donna said, looking behind them to see their chasers were started to catch up. Rose and Donna raced as fast as they could down the maze like hallways, their lungs on fire and their legs dragging from aching. Shots flew passed them to and fro, hitting the walls around them or just barely missing their feet. "Rose. I don't know if we can get away!" Donna yelled between breaths as they sprinted full speed. She couldn't see a way to out run them now, and they had nowhere to divert or hide. The further they went the less and less it looked good for them "Rose!" Donna screamed, desperate for her friend's attention.

Rose was concentrating on the sonic, doing her best to listen so that they could be told where to go. She could tell they were not that far away. She could feel the signal for the sonic screwdriver growing stronger and stronger as they neared. But she also felt something else, Rose could have sworn that she could feel a low hum, perhaps it was the TARDIS, and maybe it was calling to her. This made her even more desperate to get back, there wasn't another option for her. She heard Donna yelling at her, but she didn't want to take her attention away from the screwdriver, she didn't want them to lose any precious second. She could feel the ground below them shaking harder and harder within every second, the feet behind them drawing nearer and nearer as they ran.

A shot rang out, passing much too close to the women, forcing them both to duck away from being hit. Donna couldn't see it going any further, she NEEDED her friend to listen.

"ROSE!"

-.-.-.-.-

"You will face the consequences Doctor!" a voice declared

"Yeah, I'd rather not" the Doctor says simply. He knew he was agitating the man, but he was also buying them time.

"No one may leave now!" another man roared

"Shame" the Doctor replies knowingly "Because I do tend to make such dramatic exits." The Doctor pauses, he could feel vibrations through his ears. The building was shaking. It was in self-destruct mode and was working its way up. It was subtle enough that no one had caught on except the Doctor, superior time lord physiology and whatnot. Martha notices his pause and takes the possibility into consideration, realizing his observation. The Doctor grins up at the hierarchy. "Speaking of" he says smugly, hold a finger up. "That's my cue"

Almost if on actual cue, the floor below them starts to violently shake, knocking everyone but the Doctor to their feet. The Doctor helps Martha up as they make their exit, avoiding everyone else while they are still down. "Doctor!" they hear a voice ring after them.

The pair sprinted back to where they had parked the TARDIS and stopped just outside so that the Doctor could fumble for his keys.

"Where are they?" Martha asks anxiously, looking around them for any signs of their friends.

"They'll be here" the Doctor replies automatically, hastily shoving his key into the lock and throwing open the door. The Doctor made his way to the console to check the readings the TARDIS was providing as Martha stayed manning the door, keeping a look out for the other two.

"Rats!" the Doctor complained, hitting the site of the monitor in front of him angrily. "I can't tell if they are out there!" He ran both of his hands through his mess of hair, trying to get himself to think.

"What d'you mean?" Martha questions, growing weary with every second "Doctor!?" she demands

"The TARDIS can only give me a count of life signs" he spits out quickly, pounding away at his keyboard "I can't locate where they specifically are without the screwdriver"

Martha took a few steps back, using the rail for support to lean on. She was worried for her friends. They would have to leave any second, with no way of tracing how close or far away they were.

"They'll be here" the Doctor repeated, still looking at his work but sensing her tension.

Just then Donna burst through the door, causing the other two to look her way. Her hair was disheveled and her clothes had holes and burnt marks on them. "Start her up!" she yelled once she caught a quick breath. "We need to get going, now!"

"Donna! Where's Rose?" The Doctor asks, finally starting to worry, walking towards the door himself "We're not leaving without her"

"Just do it you lunatic alien!" Donna screamed at him, stunning him in his place. She breathed some to calm her voice down. "Just trust us"

After a few hesitant seconds, the Doctor slowly turned himself around back to the console, choosing to put all of his trust in them. He wasn't about leave Rose by herself, so if all else failed he'd immediately be coming back for her. He knew that if anything happened to her, there would be hell to pay.

He pressed the correct dials and buttons, signaling the TARDIS to dematerialize. "I'm putting all of my trust in you" he said to her faintly as the familiar whirring sound of the TARDIS starting to sound.

"Oh, you don't have to be so dramatic" Donna scoffed at him distractedly. She took this as her cue as she turned back around, whipping the TARDIS door back open in the process.

"Donna!?" Martha shrieks, the Doctor looking their way confusedly

The red head leans her body out the door, reaching out her hand for a brief moment and then pulling an even more disheveled Rose in with her. Rose fell to the floor from running impact while Donna closed the doors back up just in time for the TARDIS to completely disappear without a trace. The Doctor and Martha looked to the two of them, astonished.

Donna joined a coughing Rose down on the floor as they both tried to catch their breath, beyond grateful that the running was over.

"Rose?" the Doctor questions "Donna? What happened? Are you guys alright?" he asks worriedly, quickly making his way over to them

Rose sat up from the ground, leaning her head onto Donna's shoulder as they both leaned onto the inside of the door. "I think.." she said, still gulping for air "I think we need a nap"


	15. Chapter 15

"Rose" the Doctor breathed, running to them and pulling her up to him

"Wh—what –"he tried "Why were you -?"

"I dropped the screwdriver" she said, reaching into her back pocket and pulling the tool out to show him, sticking her tongue between her teeth

He grinned down at her "Rose Tyler" he said softly. He took the screwdriver out of her hands and pulled her into a fierce hug, lifting her and spinning around playfully

"Ahem" they heard Donna cough from the floor "I'm alright too, just in case you were wondering" she teased

"That she is" Rose agreed, freeing herself from the Doctor and helping the red head up from the floor "And what a brilliant one she is!" Rose exclaimed

"Oh, well" Donna began "I can't get myself to disagree with you" she joked once she was stood up

"This one" Rose said fondly, latching onto Donna's arm and turning them to the Doctor "This one saved my life. Saved both of ours actually" Rose said with a big, proud smile. "Once we set the building to self destruct, the system automatically locked us into the room. We tried everything, but there was no way out until Donna figured out the encryption code to open the latches"

Wow" the Doctor answered, impressed "That is quite brilliant, Donna" he agreed

"Good on you!" Martha exclaimed, making her way to hug her friend "Good thing you went down there" she mused "I would've had no idea about anything of that!"

"It helps when you know how to type fast. Y'know, temp" Donna gushed proudly, holding her hands up to mimick typing on a keyboard

"It's a good thing you agreed to go down there Donna" Rose said appreciatively "If you didn't then I would not be standing here now." she finished, hugging her friend tightly.

"We should celebrate!" Martha exclaims

"Sure. We can do whatever Donna wants" the Doctor agreed

"Oh great!" Donna said, rubbing her hands together as she thought. "To be honest. All I want to do to celebrate is to take a long, hot bath and then retire to my room for the rest of the night"

The Doctor raised his eyebrow in question

"We did alot of running" Rose said "As a matter of fact" she said, rubbing her neck with her hands "I second that"

"Alright then" the Doctor chuckled "Agreed"


	16. Chapter 16

"It's a sentient ship" said Rose simply, not even looking up from her readings "She's a sentient ship" she said, correcting herself

"..sentient?" Donna asked, her and Martha staring at the blonde "…she?"

The three girls were once again in the TARDIS library. They often found themselves back there as it was the comfiest place on the ship. The three liked the endless selection of books, the deep couches, and the cozy fireplace. Besides, it was the easiest place for them to go and spend some time away from the Doctor without him getting curious and sticking his nose in, as he was most often the topic of conversation

"Sentient…like…as in… senses?" Martha said slowly, working out the word play in her head

"Basically yeah" Rose sighed, closing her book and setting it on the side table "sentient as in conscious" Donna blinked at her "She's alive" she stated "Just as alive and you and me really. You know I can't believe he never told you about this."

"Yeah…." Donna drawled out sarcastically "I guess the conversation never came up"

Rose giggled at her friend "Well we could ask him to explain it next time we see him then" she offered. "We all know he'd be happy to oblige" she added, twirling her blonde hair in between her fingers "He'd never turn down an opportunity to explain. Never too little time to explain. Except when we are saving lives of course." She continued, focusing hard on moving her hair through her fingers. "He always loves to feel like the smartest person in the room, as long the other people aren't being stupid…."

Rose had started rambling on, reminding the other two women of the Doctor himself. She frequently had mannerisms that remind them of the time lord. It's something that both Martha and Donna caught onto fairly quickly. They found the mystery in the two's relationship to be quite intriguing, and were always curious to find out more. The Doctor himself of course was often secretive about anything in his life leading up to the present. They had more luck with Rose, though it was still not much. She was often sharing stories about her adventures with the man, but was careful to limit it at that.

"Rose" Martha began cautiously, looking to Donna who urged her on "Can you tell us more about your time with the Doctor?"

"Huh?" the blonde snapped her head up, startled by the question

"Like" Donna helped "You're favorite memories?" she said, hoping to sound casual

Rose sighed heavily, and after a moment of thought, twisted herself to better face her friends. "Okay" she agreed. The other two gave each other a look of satisfaction as Rose thought about her answer.

"Well" she began with a thoughtful sigh "All of them are quite wonderful obviously" she answered

Martha and Donna nodded their head eagerly

"One of my favorite memories is when we traveled to 1950s London" She declared "The whole country was celebrating the queen's inauguration. Afterwards everyone was cheering and eating in the streets. S'was like a city wide picnic" she giggled "We laughed and danced in the streets until the sun came up.

Donna smiled at her friend. She wouldn't mind having a memory like that

"Dunno, just was one of those moments to lose yourself in" Rose continued, losing herself in thought "No better feeling than letting yourself completely loose to be happy" she smiled to herself

"How wonderful" Martha commented

"Don't think I don't know what you are doing" Rose says, snapping her attention back to them and pointing her finger accusingly

"Wha-?" Donna asked innocently, her and Martha holding up their hands as if to show Rose that they were unarmed. Rose giggled at them, lowering her finger and grabbing the book back off of the table to resume her earlier position, returning her attention back to her previous activity. "Oh come on!" Donna whined, afraid the subject was being dropped just as soon as they were getting somewhere "You know what we're trying to do, then help us out!" she pleaded passionately

"Okay Donna" Martha said cautiously. She wanted to know just as much as the red head, but was starting to feel concerned that they would make their friend too uncomfortable with their nosiness.

Rose was only amused by her friends, and she knew she could trust them with just about anything. The two of them are only a couple of the very few people that has traveled with the Doctor. Like her, they have stories in which they cannot tell anyone, unless they wanted to be called mad. Rose gave another big sigh, closing her book once again, lowering it down into her lap and looking off into the space in front of her.

The other two women watched her questioningly. They weren't sure if the blonde was even on the same subject as them anymore

"Tell you what" Rose announced after a moment of thought. She once again put her book down, but this time stood up from her seat. "I'll answer your questions. As long as you answer mine" she declared.

"Huh?" the other two puzzled

"Question for question" Rose said naturally "But first, dinner. I'm ravenous!" she pulled her friends up energetically and then race down the hallway towards the kitchen, her friends following behind her laughing

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The Doctor was once again working on TARDIS updates. The opportunity came frequently, whenever he is able to find more advanced parts from different planets, in different galaxies.

He was mumbling to himself, every once in a while telling the TARDIS facts about where a specific part was from, not that she was listening. Time passed quickly when he was working on the TARDIS, the whole concept of time of the ship was already askew to begin with. But it put his mind at ease, as he liked to work on things that he knew everything about. He always liked to say that he knew the TARDIS like the back of his hand. Which, now that he thought about it, might not be a good way to put it considering he gets a different set of hands every now and then.

"Ahh!" he rang out, after looking up to see that he had company "Long time no see" he said as Rose walked up to meet him at the console. She smiled at him warmly and bumped his shoulder with hers

"Hello darling" she hummed back "S'time for dinner"

"Really? Already?" the Doctor questioned "What time is it anyway on this bloody ship? I'm not yet done with my updates"

Rose giggled "Well, it's ready and we're eating. So, do what you'd like with that information" she said cheekily, slowly making her way back the way she came. The Doctor arched an eyebrow at her. "Just know there will be an empty spot next to me if you'd like" she sighed teasingly, looking over her shoulder as she made her way to the door. With that, the Doctor's mind was made up, as he tossed his tools to the side, and ran after her out of the room.

-.-.-.-.-

The Doctor and Martha had drawn the short straws for doing the dishes afterwards. The Doctor always ended up doing the bloody dishes, though he made a point not to complain too much, as his meals were always being provided for him. Donna and Rose sat at the table, passionately discussing their favorite Spice Girls' songs. Donna expressed her love for 'Say You'll Be There', while Rose insisted that "Spice Up Your Life' was the best thing to happen to modern music. Martha giggled from her spot at the sink, though the Doctor had no clue to what they were talking about. "So" he started "anyone care for a movie tonight?" he asked optimistically, taking a wet plate from Martha and drying it with his hand towel.

"Sorry Doctor" Rose replied. He looked over her way, surprised by her answer but tried not to show his disappointment too much, giving her a pouty lip and puppy dog eyes. She giggled at him "Already promised a girl's night tonight"

"And I can't be a part of girl's night?" he questioned, working hard to not be offended

"Believe it or not, no" Donna answered dryly, Rose laughed. The Doctor frowned at her as he dried the last dish and threw his rag on the counter

"Tell you what" Rose offered, walking over to stand close to him "Next time we have a night in, we can do whatever you want. All of us" she finished, giving him a hopeful smile.

"Wait. All of us?" Martha asked "Be careful what you're getting us into. This could mean us sitting as he shows us every ins and outs of the TARDIS." she warned

"All of us" Rose confirmed, giving the Doctor a couple of pokes with her finger

The Doctor smiled at her. How could he not smile at her? He wanted to be with her now, but she was promising time with him later on, and he'd be daft to refuse "Alright" he agreed, pulling her in by her waist and holding her firm to stay standing close to him. Rose giggled and put her arms up over his shoulders, using the palm of her hands to squeeze his cheeks together playfully. He giggled along with her.

Okay, Donna and Martha had a lot of questions to ask tonight.

"We should get going then" Donna declared "Time for gossip. How else are we going to find out her dirty little secrets?" she asked with humor, looking to Martha who giggled.

The blonde hesitated for a slight second before shifting her gaze from the Doctor over to her friends, giving them a nod and a smile. The Doctor caught on, he saw her face change for that split second, something that he would only be quick enough to notice. The Doctor saw it then, what he had seen before, at the diner. Her eyes. Her eyes were painfully sad, but were for that fraction of a second, much deeper and older than what suited her. He had told himself to ignore it before, convincing himself that it was a trick of the eye. He wondered if she thought she got away without anyone noticing, because he definitely noticed.

She definitely noticed that he noticed "Off we go then" she said, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek quickly, only for him to swiftly grab ahold of her upper arms, restraining her close to his face. Rose knew she didn't need to react, as Martha and Donna were too busy grabbing snacks to take notice. The Doctor stared at her quizzically, taking note of every inch of her face.

'They've changed back' he thought to himself 'it turns like the flick of a switch'. Rose knew what he doing, and chose to ignore him. "See you in the morning" she told him.

He reluctantly let his arms fall to his side as the three women left him to his thoughts. He thought he might have been going crazy, but for him to notice this on a number of occasions is too much to be just a coincidence.

He didn't know whether or not something was wrong with his Rose, and if there was, why she wasn't letting him help her, which made him sad.

"Goodnight" he sighed into an empty room. He put his hands in his pockets and hung his head, yearning for an answer.

An answer he would find, he decided, making his way back into the console room.

He'd do anything to help his Rose.

Anything


	17. Chapter 17

The Doctor sat in the captain's chair, feet propped up onto the console, arms crossed, head leaning back with his eyes closed. He'd already finished all the recent upgrades he had planned and could not think of anything else that was interesting enough to do. He was bored.

He audibly sighed. The Doctor is glad his three companions are spending time together, but he just didn't understand why that meant he couldn't be there also. "Human traditions" he said out loud to himself. He understood the concept of girl's night, but gosh he needed something to do also! 'It's okay, they're bonding' he would remind himself every once in a while.

"Can't you just let me listen in for a moment?" The Doctor asked the TARDIS again "I'm responsible for them, I at least need to make sure they're alright!" he pleaded. "Fine" he mumbled when the ship hummed disapprovingly at him. The Doctor swung his legs down from the console and hopped up from his seat "You know where to find me" he told the ship as he walked out.

He zigged and zagged his way through the halls until he reached the library. He browsed the shelves, and after finding something to read, he made his way over to the grand fireplace where his new armchair resided. The Doctor sat himself down with another big sigh and got to work. "These should last me a while" he said aloud.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Okay, Donna" Martha called "Your turn. Hugh Grant or Colin Firth"

"Easy" Donna scoffed "Who wouldn't choose Colin Firth?"

"A sane person" Rose teased

"I'm telling you, Bridget Jones made the right decision" red head said matter-of-factly. Her friends giggled

"This about the actors, not the characters they played" Martha corrected. "But I do agree with Donna. As pretty as Hugh Grant is, do you really think he's that charming in real life?"

"Okay, okay" Rose laughed "I take it back, Colin Firth for sure"

The girls had locked themselves away in Rose's room for the night. Donna was in the midst of getting her hair braided by her blonde friend as Martha sat next to them, focusing on painting her toes.

"I have to say I'm loving this!" Donna mused "I haven't been to a slumber part in ages!"

"Me either" her friends agreed

"Okay, all done" Rose announced "'Ave a look"

Donna walks over to the dressing table "Brilliant!" she declared "I've never been able to do it on my own this well" she said, admiring herself in the mirror

"No worries" Rose replied adjusting herself on the bed to lean onto the headboard.

"Alright" Donna said suddenly, clapping her hands together and turning quickly on her heals to face her friends. "Now time for the gossip portion of the night" she decided, running excitedly back to the bed and sitting with the girls

Rose sighed and then laughed along with Martha "Okay, I promised you guys" she said hesitantly

"What's up with you and The Doctor?" Donna asked urgently

"Uhh" Rose tried, struggling to find the words "I wouldn't even know how to begin"

"Okay, we'll work our way up to it" Donna assured the blonde.

"So you were nineteen when you met The Doctor" Martha began "Were you seeing anyone at the time?"

Rose sat up in her spot excited to tell them about Mickey "Yes I was. At the time I was dating my childhood best friend, Mickey. We'd been dating for about two years by that point"

"What was he like?" Donna asked

"He was great! He was the closest person to me besides mum. He protected me and was my family" Rose answered, thinking back fondly of her old friend. "We broke up shortly afterwards"

"Why do you think?" Martha asked

"Because I chose to travel with the Doctor" Rose told them. The other two nodded. "At the time it felt like he was being unfair for making me choose between him and The Doctor. But I knew I couldn't pass up an opportunity to see the universe, and he knew he couldn't be okay with it back home. So we took it as a sign. We both just kind of knew that it was over"

Donna and Martha gave her a sympathetic smile

"It's not all terrible though" Rose reassured them "Because he was still my best friend and I could trust him with anything"

"So have you and The Doctor ever kissed?" Donna asked, getting down to what she really wanted to know

Rose shook her head at her friend, laughing "Hah, yeah" she answered. The girls gaped at her

"WHAT?!" her friends shouted excitedly

"Only technically" Rose added "Once I was possessed by a bitchy trampoline and she used my body to kiss The Doctor. The other time he kissed me only to get the heart of the TARDIS out of my system, it would've killed me otherwise."

"Okay that raises more questions than it answers" Donna laughed

"To be honest it feels as though the Doctor has kissed everybody" Rose joked "It doesn't really seem that scandalous to me"

"Actually" Martha spoke up "The Doctor kissed me the day I met him" she said shyly.

"See!" said Rose, gesturing to Martha

"What a tic" Donna interjected "Why did The Doctor kiss you?"

"We met when the hospital I worked at got stuck on the moon" Martha answered

"Bloody hell, I remember that!" Donna said

"An alien species called the Judoon were hunting down anyone who registered as a non-human lifeform. He kissed me so that he could have a little bit of human on him when he got scanned"

"Ahh" her friends concluded

"To be honest" Martha added nervously "I sort of had a bit of a crush on the Doctor when I first met him" she said slowly. She didn't want to upset Rose, but it didn't feel right keeping it from her either. "He told me before he kissed me why he was doing it and that it would mean nothing, but I had it in my head that he was just saying it, and he would change his mind." She eyed Rose uneasily

Rose laughed "Hey, I don't blame you" she assured her friend, reaching over to touch her arm "We all know how charming he can be. If a handsome man kissed me, saved my life and then offered me a chance to see the universe, it'd be hard to not feel at least some admiration towards him" she finished. Martha let out a huge sigh of relief, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Well let me just tell you he better not be trying anything like that with me." Donna said, pointing her finger at the other two "I'd slap him so hard he wouldn't need the TARDIS to time travel"

The girls laughed at the thought

"I just didn't want to upset you" Martha told Rose softly

Rose blinked at her friend "Why would I care?" she asked

The other two women looked at her knowingly, as if it were obvious.

"Come on" Donna insisted "You can't tell me that what I saw in that med bay was between two friends"

Rose sighed, rubbing her forehead with her hands "I don't know" she tried "Our relationship is different I guess. Everyone's relationship is different."

The women looked at her, waiting for something more

"Look" Rose said, suddenly serious "The Doctor and I were not dating. We were a couple but not like a "couple", you know? A couple…as in two people...on a team" she was having a hard time finding the right words "We were together, but not "together"' she said, gesturing the quotes with her hands.

"You two are as close as you get can get to dating someone without actually dating them" said Donna

"He's The Doctor!" Rose replied "He doesn't date people. He travels the universe and defeats aliens and saves planets and changes lives. He isn't interested in something as humanly simple as dating" she sighed again "I just love being by his side." She said slowly, articulating every word so no one could misunderstand "I don't expect nor do I want anything else from him. I wouldn't change what we have for anything in the universe." She finished quietly

Her friends nodded silently

"For what it's worth" Donna tried "He cares about you a whole lot. I think he cares about you more than humanly possible. Well, he's not human, so I guess that makes sense"

"I agree" Martha added

Rose smiled at her friends, she was so glad that she had met them "I almost forgot!" Rose said excitedly I have something to show you" she jumped up from the bed and hurried over to her closet. She went inside and came back a few seconds later with a book. "I have pictures to show you. When I traveled with the Doctor before"

"Jackpot!" Donna celebrated "Make sure to tell us all the embarrassing stories you have!"

Rose started her way back to the bed when a large force knocked her off of her feet and onto the ground hard. Martha and Donna snapped their heads her way and were then jolted backwards on the bed. The entire ship was shaking

"What the hell?" Donna shouted

Rose got back to her feet quickly, carefully making her way to her friends as another quake threatened to take her down again. "I think something is hitting the TARDIS" Rose yelled over the loud rumble

"Repeatedly?" Martha asked as another violent jolt shook them around, Donna and Martha reaching to the headboard for support

"Hang on" Rose told her friends. She turned away and made it most of the way back to the closet when another bump knocked her down again.

"Girls!" they could hear The Doctor calling to them. He sprinted to the room and let himself in. "Where's Rose?" he asked worryingly when he only saw two of the three women, turning his head to see her on the ground "Rose!" he shouted. He ran to her quickly and helped her back up, keeping her stable

"What's happening?" Rose yelled over the commotion

"I don't know" The Doctor replied at the same volume "I was in the library". Yet another jerk shook them again, knocking Rose into the Doctor. "Get dressed as fast as you can and meet me in the console room, stat!" he shouted to the other three, helping Rose to the bed and then leaving to assess the situation.

The three women looked to each other

"Well, you heard him" Rose said excitedly "Allons-y!"

"So much for girl's night" Donna muttered to herself


End file.
